“I got you, friend. I’ll get her from school and make sure she gets something to eat,” Kalani assured her as she continued to drive.
When they turned on the street where the clinic was located, they were stopped right at the corner. The entire block was pure chaos and they didn’t know what was going on. They had police cars and SWAT trucks all over the area. Men in white hazmat suits were walking around looking like astronauts.
“What the hell?” Stori asked out loud as she looked around.
The clinic that she had to go to seemed to be the focus of whatever was going on. When someone knocked on the window, she and Kalani jumped in fear. Kalani hurriedly let her window down when she saw a police officer standing there.
“You can’t come this way ma’am. The entire area is off limits until further notice. I’ll stop traffic so you can back up,” the officer said.
“What’s going on?” Kalani asked.
“Bomb threat made to the women’s clinic,” he replied before he walked into the street to stop the cars from coming. He assisted Kalani with backing up and they were on their way once again.
“Oh, my God. They are really crazy,” Stori said as she looked over at her friend in shock.
“Who’s really crazy?” Kalani asked.
“Remo and Nas. I’m sure you know that they did this,” Stori replied.
“What! Are you serious Stori? You really think they would do something extreme like this?” Kalani asked.
“Everything that they do is extreme Kalani. Did you expect them to be sitting up in Omar’s house when you got there?” Stori countered, giving her friend something to think about.
“Those retarded bastards,” Kalani fumed as she dialed Remo’s number.
“I’m at Stori’s house baby. Come fuck with me,” Remo said when he answered the phone and then hung up. Kalani already knew what that was about. Remo never liked to discuss certain things over the phone and that’s why he dismissed her before she could say anything.
“Who raised these niggas?” Stori questioned as Kalani drove to her house in stunned silence.
“Jarvis did but it ain’t his fault. I’m sure he tried his best. I seriously doubt if anybody can tame those two wild animals,” Kalani said as she shook her head.
She knew that Remo and Nas were crazy but something else was obviously wrong. Kalani would have loved to meet their parents because there had to be some kind of explanation. Jarvis was nothing like them and she needed answers. Maybe it was a chemical imbalance or something that caused them to behave the way they did. When she pulled up to Stori’s house, they both jumped out of the car, hoping to get to the bottom of everything.
“What’s up sweetheart?” Nas asked when Stori walked into the house. Him and Remo were sitting on the sofa watching tv like they had done nothing wrong.
“Please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did,” Stori said as she looked at Nas expectantly.
“Okay, I won’t.” Nas shrugged like it was no big deal.
“Naseem! Oh, my God! That is a federal offense. I can’t believe you did that,” Stori said in a panic.
“Calm down sis. They can’t trace that shit back to us. Bee stole the phone from one of them drunk niggas at the club. Once we made the call, we threw that shit in the lake,” Remo replied.
“Why are you sitting here acting all calm and shit. This is not normal Naseem. What is wrong with y’all? I can’t live like this,” Stori argued. She was beginning to look at Kalani sideways for being with Remo so long. She didn’t know if she could do it with Nas.
“Stop trying me, Stori. How many times do I have to tell you that? I’m not like none of them other niggas that you were with before me. Stop dismissing my feelings. I told you not to do it and that’s what the fuck I meant,” Nas replied.
“Why are you doing this to me, Naseem? I don’t want this baby,” Stori said as she dropped her head and cried.
Stori wasn’t an overly emotional person. Kalani hadn’t seen her cry since the day Lady gave her full custody of Toi and that was seven years ago. She didn’t even shed a tear when she learned that Gavin had fathered Misty’s child. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones that was doing it to her. Kalani jumped up to go comfort her girl, but Nas wasn’t having it.
“Get your wife Remo,” Nas ordered as he looked at his brother.
Remo grabbed Kalani by the arm before she had a chance to get to her friend. He ushered her out of the front door to give his brother some privacy. Once they were alone, Nas pulled Stori onto his lap and wiped her tears. He knew that he was a lot to handle at times and he went to the extreme to get his point across.
“I’m not forcing you to have this baby Stori,” Nas said.
“Yes, you are and you don’t even know if it’s yours,” Stori sobbed.
“No but there is a way for us to find out before you abort it,” Nas pointed out.
“How?” Stori questioned.
“Me and Remo looked at a few places online that can do a DNA test before the baby is born. We can look to see which one of them is the best and make the appointment. If I’m not the father and you still want to get an abortion, I’ll take you to do it myself,” Nas swore.
“Why didn’t you just tell me that before Naseem?” Stori asked him.
“You never gave me a chance. You just up and made the decision without even asking how I felt about it. Me and Remo looked into it last night but you never asked for my input,” Nas replied.
“I’m sorry boo,” Stori said as she laid her head on his chest.
“We’re good baby and we always will be,” Nas promised as he rubbed her back.
“Do you ever feel guilty Nas?” Stori asked him.
“About what?” Nas questioned.
“I’m talking about us being together. Do you ever feel guilty about it?” Stori asked again.
“No, why? Do you?” he inquired.
“I feel guilty about not feeling guilty. It’s like, I know I should feel bad but I don’t,” Stori answered honestly.
“This shit was meant to be baby. I should have listened to Remo and took you from that nigga a long time ago,” Nas said.
“What makes you think I would have left him for you?” Stori asked.
“I don’t know. Would you?” Nas questioned.
“In a fucking heartbeat,” Stori said, making him laugh.
“Damn man. Now I’m mad that I didn’t do it sooner,” Nas replied.
“So, who made the call?” Stori asked as she lifted her head up to look at him.
“What call?” Nas asked.
“Stop playing dumb Naseem. The call that shut down the entire block where the clinic is located,” Stori replied.
“Oh, I did. That shit made the news and everything. I feel like a hood celebrity,” Nas laughed as she shook her head.
“I can’t believe you. A bomb threat though, Nas. That was a bit much,” Stori said.
“Yeah but it got the job done. Let’s go see about making an appointment at one of these clinics. We can go grab something to eat once we get Toi from school,” Nas replied as he and Stori headed upstairs to the bedroom.
Stori didn’t know much about the procedures, so she took a few minutes to read up on everything. She did notice that the accuracy rating was extremely high and that made her feel good about doing it. She also noticed that the procedure carried a slight chance for miscarriage. Stori hated to feel the way she did but she wouldn’t have even felt bad if she was among the small percentage of women who it happened to. In her mind, God didn’t make mistakes. Whatever was meant to be was going to happen, regardless of how she felt about it.
“Man, fuck!” Remo cursed as he looked at all the big bills that was in his and Nas’ safe. He was supposed to stop at the bank earlier that morning but he forgot. Now, the bar needed change and he didn’t even have any. It was almost seven at night and all of the banks were closed. He was hoping that Bee could run to a corner store and at least get a few small bills to hold
them over.
“What’s good bro?” Nas asked when he walked into the office. He threw a leather bank bag to his brother that Remo caught midair.
“Boy, I love the fuck out of you, nigga. I was just in here stressing about this shit.” Remo smiled as he thumbed through the bag of money that Nas had just given him. They must have had some kind of twin super powers because he and Nas were always in sync with one another.
“Yeah, I saw that we were running low when I was in here last night,” Nas replied as he took a seat on the leather sofa.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you in here today. How is Stori feeling?” Remo asked.
“She’s good. She’s just relaxing like they told her to. I was just passing through to drop that money off to you. I’m going grab her and Toi something to eat and head back home,” Nas replied.
Two weeks had passed since Stori was supposed to terminate her pregnancy. She was now eleven weeks in and starting to show already. She had the amniocentesis done that morning and they now had about another week or two to wait before they got the results. Stori was still in her first trimester but she hated the small pouch that was forming in her belly. That meant that the baby was growing and she was feeling guilty about getting rid of it. Nas was adamant about her having it, even if Gavin was the father. She knew that things would only get worse if she did. There was no way that Nas was going to want Gavin to come around and she wasn’t in the mood for the drama that she knew would come as a result.
“Man, I hope we get some good news. I got nieces but I need me a nephew to spoil.” Remo smiled.
“Stori don’t want a boy but I need one. A lil girl gon’ make me too soft,” Nas replied as he stood to his feet.
“Go take care of your wife and call me later,” Remo said as he gave his brother a hug.
“Later bro,” Nas replied as he walked out of the office.
He sent a head nod to a few of their regulars as he made his way to the front door. He was almost to the exit when Danni stepped in his path and put her hand on his chest.
“Well, hello there stranger.” Danni smiled up at him.
“What’s good Danni?” Nas said as he removed her hand. He didn’t need Kalani to see anything that she would feel compelled to report back to Stori.
“Damn. I can’t touch you no more or something?” Danni asked in an offended tone.
“Nah, I’m already spoken for,” Nas replied as he sidestepped her and made his way outside.
“Spoken for by who? I hope you’re not talking about Milan because that ain’t nothing new. I was there when she was your girlfriend and I was still around once you made her your wife,” Danni noted as she followed him out.
Nas had been avoiding her more than usual and she was not happy about that. She never went to his club without being invited, but she really wanted to see him. She missed being with him and she needed a fix that only sex with Naseem could satisfy.
“I’m not with Milan no more Danni. I got a girl and I’m not on that dumb shit no more,” Nas said.
“Since when?” Danni said as she tried to touch his chest again.
“Chill out Danni. I’m good on you and whatever we had. I love my girl and I’m happy,” Nas replied.
“How the fuck do you love a bitch that you probably just met? Just keep shit real Naseem,” Danni argued. She’d been dealing with Nas for a minute and had yet to hear him say that he loved Milan. She was supposed to be next in line once he and Milan separated. She wasn’t about to let some new bitch take a spot that she’d waited so long to get.
“See, I was trying to be civilized with your stupid ass but fuck it. Since you don’t seem to like it when I’m a gentleman, I’ll talk to you in a language that you might understand. Your pussy is trash and your head is even worse. I only needed you when I was locked up and you served your purpose a long time ago. Stop calling my phone and stay the fuck away from my club. Is that clear enough for you?” Nas asked menacingly.
He was trying to spare her feelings and that was something that he rarely did. Since she wanted to act stupid, he had to show her that he could be just as dumb. She was no better than Milan. They wanted him to be honest and he had no problem doing that.
“Fuck you, Naseem!” Danni fumed as she backed away from him and rushed off to her car. She sped away, making her tires screech as she did.
“Who the fuck is raising these hoes?” Nas asked himself out loud. That was a question that he never seemed to have an answer to. He wasn’t in the mood to entertain none of the foolishness. He pulled off from the club and headed to the restaurant to get Stori and Toi something to eat.
“I wanna see exactly who this new bitch is,” Danni fumed as she followed behind Nas.
She pulled away from the club but she didn’t go very far. Once she saw Nas drive away, she kept her distance and followed right behind him. When he pulled up to a Chinese restaurant, Danni parked at the end of the parking lot and turned off her lights. It took Nas about twenty minutes before he got back into the car and drove away. He seemed to be preoccupied with his phone call and she was happy for that. She couldn’t risk being seen by Nas. He would probably kill her if he knew what she was up to. He was usually on point but whoever he was talking to had all of his attention at the moment. Danni followed him until he pulled up to a nice house and opened the garage door. Once the door closed and he was no longer in sight, she jumped out of the car to read the business sign that was out front.
“Toi Stori Hair Salon. The fuck kind of name is that?” Danni questioned out loud.
She took a picture of the sign with the phone number and Instagram information on it. Danni had braids in her hair but they weren’t going to be in there forever. She had a feeling that once she took them out, she was going to be paying a visit to the new hair salon that she had just discovered.
“M an, Stori, I’m not calling you with no bullshit. I need to get my important documents that I left over there,” Gavin said as he left Stori yet another message.
He hadn’t spoken to her since learning of her pregnancy and he was sure that she’d had the abortion by now. Gavin was hurt but there really was nothing that he could do about it. After searching for two weeks, he’d finally found and been approved for a two bedroom apartment. He had gotten all of his belongings from Stori’s house but his folder of important documents that he kept at the top of the closet was still there. His social security card, birth certificate and lots of other important information was there and he really needed it. Stori was on some bullshit and he didn’t have time for it.
“You and wifey having problems?” Carlton, one of the other barbers, asked.
“Man, she’s on some bullshit right now,” Gavin fumed. He was happy that the barber shop was fairly empty because he really needed to vent. Nas wasn’t there and Carlton was always cool.
“Shit, the way you used to be talking, I thought shit was all good,” Carlton noted.
He knew Stori very well but he wasn’t going to elaborate for Gavin. His first cousin, Corey, was Stori’s first love but that had been a long time ago. In Carlton’s opinion, Corey was never Stori’s type and neither was Gavin. He loved his cousin but Corey was as grimy as they came. Carlton’s younger brothers and cousins hung out with him a lot but he was good on him. Besides cutting his hair, Carlton didn’t really deal with Corey like that. He got weed from him occasionally but that didn’t happen too often either.
“It was all good with us until I fucked up,” Gavin said, bringing Carlton back to the present.
“How so?” Carlton asked.
“I made a baby on her and shit kind of went left. I don’t think we’re over for good but she’s pissed with a nigga right now,” Gavin said.
“Damn boy. Who the fuck did you find that was better than Stori? She’s good people,” Carlton noted. He used to have a crush on Stori back in the day but his cousin beat him to her. He was happily married with kids now, so another woman was nowhere on his mind.
“That bit
ch ain’t better than my wife. I just got caught up. Fucking with Nas and got his sister-in-law pregnant.” Gavin frowned.
“The stripper!” Carlton yelled.
He didn’t know Nas all that well but he did know who his wife was. Milan used to always come to the shop and she sometimes got her weed from his cousin. Corey tried to get with her but she shut him down real quick. Corey didn’t have enough money for her to even entertain him.
“Don’t even remind me. That bitch ruined my life.” Gavin frowned.
“It sounds like you did that all on your own,” Carlton replied.
He wasn’t knocking Gavin because he was no saint back in the day. It took his wife leaving him and threatening to divorce him before he got his shit together. He realized that none of the women that he was cheating with were better than what he had at home. They weren’t even worth it and that made his decision to be faithful a lot easier. Gavin, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be as smart. Carlton didn’t indulge in gossip but it appeared that not many of the barbers were very fond of him. Gavin bragged a lot and that rubbed people the wrong way. Carlton had never met a man who talked outside of his bedroom like Gavin did. It was whack as fuck but he didn’t see anything wrong with it. He and Nas seemed to be worlds apart, but Gavin all but worshipped the ground that Nas walked on.
“Yeah and I’m paying for that shit too,” Gavin sighed right as the front door opened.
“What’s up cuz? I need to get lined up right quick,” Corey said as he walked into the shop and sat in Carlton’s chair.
“Where my stupid ass lil brothers at?” Carlton asked as he fixed the cape around Corey’s neck.
“Making my money,” Corey laughed, as Carlton frowned at his statement.
Corey was almost thirty years old and still didn’t have anything going for himself. He’d been selling weed for years and still had to rob niggas just to get ahead. Carlton didn’t know why his little brothers followed his lead because he always led them into some bullshit. They stayed in jail and so did Corey.
“Stori, I know you see me calling you. Answer the fucking phone!” Gavin bellowed, as Corey looked over at him.
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