Aaron stood back up, getting in Anastasia’s face. “She doesn’t need no muthafuckin’ water, yo! She needs to go home and get some rest! This is your husband’s cousin, your family, and you’re workin’ the shit outta her like she’s not sick, like she doesn’t have a heart condition, like she didn’t almost fuckin’ die last year!”
Anastasia laughed to herself, her girls standing behind her, about to cosign and add to the drama. “Dude, you gettin’ loud with the wrong one. You need to stay in your lane. This is my fuckin’ territory, nigga, so respect it.”
Aaron looked at her, temples twitching, before helping me up from the floor. “Well, this is my wife, and you need to respect her. I’m all about her, and you’re all about yours, Anastasia! You don’t give a fuck about her. I’m taking her home.” Aaron’s phone was going off on his hip.
I looked at him, my eyes growing weary.
“Yo, your phone’s ringin’ off the hook, shawty. Don’t you have some meeting you have to attend to, my nigga?” Jackie-O rolled her neck and her eyes at Aaron. “We got Twinkie. She’ll be a’ight.”
I looked at her. ‘Twinkie’ was the nickname they gave me because they said that’s what I needed to eat in order to gain some weight, to get a booty like theirs, to look as fly as they did. I hated all of their skinny jokes. I felt so out of place in Anastasia’s world.
I looked at Aaron. I was feeling pretty bad. I needed Aaron, and he needed to go. His business meeting was pretty important. Little did I know, Aaron’s mother’s family owned several diamond mines in the South Africa. Ella’s father decided to sign Aaron on as a partner in their family business. He was the oldest of fifteen grandchildren. Aaron never really told me how rich his family was. He didn’t like to talk about a family that he hardly knew. Ella was happy when she found out that her father wanted her son to join the family business. Of course, Aaron couldn’t care less, but I told him that he needed to get to know his mother’s side of the family. I didn’t have much respect for his mother, but she was his mother. And you only get one, no matter how fucked up in the head she is.
Aaron looked at me. “You need to get to the hospital.”
“And you need to go meet your grandfather’s attorney. You promised your mother you’d meet him.” I held onto his arm, gripping his shirt in my hands. “I’ll be fine. Just go.”
“We’ll get her to the hospital. Aye, Kalvin, come get Twinkie and put her in the car.” Anastasia signaled Kalvin, the biggest security guard in the room to come and get me.
Aaron made an irritated face, then swooped me up in his arms, and I put my arms around his neck. “I got her, shorty.” Aaron snapped. “I got my wife. And y’all need to quit callin’ her fuckin’ Twinkie, yo. Where’s the car?”
Aaron carried me out to Anastasia’s stretch Hummer, and carefully sat me inside. He handed my jacket, purse, and shoes to me. His eyes searched my face. He didn’t want to leave me. His phone kept vibrating on his hip.
Anastasia and a few of her dancers got in the limo on the opposite side.
“Are you gonna be okay, Heaven? You know I don’t wanna leave you.” Aaron held my face in his hands.
I nodded, looking up into his face. “I’ll be fine. I’m probably just dehydrated. Talk to you later, bae.”
Aaron gently kissed my lips. “Call me when you get to the hospital. As soon as you get to the hospital. I’m for real, Heaven.”
I watched Aaron hop out of the Hummer and stand alongside the limo as the driver closed my door. I waved good-bye to bae as the driver left the parking lot.
I was silent on the way to the hospital. I didn’t have too much to say to Anastasia. She was showing her ass around Aaron, and it was really getting on my got-damn nerves.
“That nigga of yours, Heaven, he needs to stay in his place.” Anastasia finally said.
I looked at her, feeling like I was back in Maryland with Renée again. Renée was a story all by herself. She wasn’t Aaron’s biggest fan. She was pissed more than anyone when she found out that we were married and that I didn’t share that news with her.
“Stay in his place?” I scoffed.
“Yes, in his muthafuckin’ place. He may be the king of your castle, honey, but at Passion Productions, I’m the queen. I call the shots. I don’t tell him how to dribble out there on the court, so he can’t tell me how to dance, something I’ve been doing a lot longer than he’s been playing ball. He comes up in my spot again talkin’ shit, and his ass is gonna get laid the fuck out. You need to tame your nigga before I do.” Anastasia popped open a bottle of champagne. I was on the way to the got-damn hospital, and that bitch was poppin’ bottles. Oh, she was pissed at me.
“Okay, let’s be real. Let’s be honest with one another.” I turned to her. “Let’s just put it all out there in the air, so there’s no misunderstanding. You don’t like my husband, do you? Just say the shit instead of throwin’ all of this shade toward him!”
“No, I don’t like the muthafucka.” Anastasia poured her girl 24-K a glass. “Now, it was one thing when he came to rescue you from your depression, but it’s another thing when he tries to come in my territory and change the way that I run thangs. At least that nigga Jamie let you do you. Aaron doesn’t want you to do shit but sit home and be a fuckin’ trophy wife.”
I couldn’t believe her. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. With Jamie, you were strong, you were independent, and you had your guards up.” Anastasia shook her head at me.
“That’s because I couldn’t trust the muthafucka!” I exclaimed.
“Well, at least you were doing you! With Aaron, you completely let your guards down. He takes you off your game. He makes you content. He makes you not wanna do shit but sit around him. You lost that spirit you had when you first came to Atlanta.” Anastasia poured herself a glass.
“That spirit, Anastasia, was anger. I was angry all the muthafuckin’ time! Yeah, anger makes for good music, but anger ruins your heart! I should know; I’ve been angry all my life! Aaron makes me happy! And if that’s weak to you, then fuck you, okay?” I sat back in my seat, heart racing. “As a matter of fact, fuck all y’all!”
Anastasia and her dancers looked at me like I lost my mind.
“Okay,” Anastasia lowered her glass, “I’ll give you that one because you’re on your way to the hospital. Don’t start feelin’ froggy just because your man is around, sweetie. Cuz if you wanna jump, you know I stay ready.”
I sighed. “Anna, I love you, you’re my family, but you’re just like Renée, shit maybe even worse! Even she tried to look after my heart; you work me until I can barely feel my feet! You love money, and I get it. Money runs your life, but it doesn’t run mine. I came from shit; more than anything, all I want is love. I thought you’d be able to relate to that! I wanna be around people who care about me and value my opinion. Aaron does that. Aaron wants what’s best for me!”
Anastasia took a long sip from her glass, then looked at me, her brown eyes sparkling. “Well, what is that you want?”
I shook my head at her. “I want him. I’ve waited for him for so long, and I’m not gonna lose that boy. I left Maryland to leave the stress behind, and you just keep building on more! If you really want me to do this, you’re gonna have to ease up. I can’t hang with these strippers. Shit, I’m not a stripper, and you can’t turn me into one! I’m Ne’Vaeh, take me as I am or take nothing at all, Anastasia!”
Anastasia nodded. It was the first time that I’d spoken up for myself to her. She was pissed that I disrespected her in front of her people, but she understood.
Anastasia had her bodyguard carry me into the hospital. We all sat in the ER waiting room. You should have seen the stares that the dancers were getting, all dressed in crop tops, booty shorts, and heels. I had covered up with my jacket, holding my heels in my hands. I refused to let Anastasia and her dancers into the triage with me. I told them it was fine if they left for a while, and I’d call them when I was ready. Fortunately, my do
ctor was on call, and we didn’t have to wait too long for her to show up to the hospital.
Dr. Leyland sat on a stool at the edge of my bed, looking over the results of the lab work that came back. She looked at me from over her Chanel glasses and grinned. “How are you doing today, Mrs. Washington-Whitehaven?”
I slightly grinned. “A little worn out.”
“Girl, I told you what you were getting yourself into last year when you told me you were signed under that girl’s label, but you wouldn’t listen to me,” Dr. Leyland sighed, shaking her head at me. Dr. Leyland had to be about twenty-six years old. She was married with three kids. She couldn’t have had a life because she worked all the damn time. She was pretty with perfect teeth and perfect skin. She barely wore her white coat, coming up in the hospital dressed in skin-tight dresses and stilettos. I’d see her flirting with the same handsome doctor just about every time I saw her in the hospital. I even saw her with that man on several occasions at the mall. She was definitely having an affair with that doctor, who also worked in her department, but I wasn’t going to judge her. Though it was hard not to because she reminded me a lot of Charlie.
Dr. Leyland looked at me. “Sweetie, you’re gonna have to slow down, and it’s more important now than ever.”
I looked at her. “Why?”
She grinned, “Because you’re pregnant.”
My eyes widened, and my heart immediately started skipping beats. Everything she said at that moment was tuned out by the sound of my heart beating in my chest. I was still mourning over the loss of little Sara. I couldn’t take losing another baby. I was having Aaron’s baby, and I should have been happy, but I was horrified.
“Ne’Vaeh, are you listening to me?” Dr. Leyland shook my arm.
I looked at her, my whole body going limp. “Dr. Leyland, I can’t do this again. I just lost Sara, you know how difficult this is for me!”
Dr. Leyland held both of my hands, looking into my face. “Ne’Vaeh, you are a fighter. You have been through a lot this past year and a half. I’m not going to pretend that it’s going to be easy, because it’s not. But with some rest and maintaining a good diet, I believe you can do this.” She let go of my hands, getting up from the stool. She went over to the counter to pick up her phone. “Now, let me find Dr. Uma’s number. She is an awesome obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. We will both help you get you through this.” She searched her phone for the number.
I sighed, shaking my head to myself. “Anastasia works the fuck out of me, Dr. Leyland! How the hell am I gonna tell her this?”
Dr. Leyland looked at me, making a ‘fuck that bitch’ face. “Ne’Vaeh, sweetie, you have to give your body a rest. The play stuff might not be too detrimental to your health or the health of this baby, but you’re gonna have to chill out on that international tour that Anastasia plans on dragging you into. Dancing, singing, and traveling aren’t in your best interest. You and Aaron Whitehaven live very busy lives, but you’re gonna have to slow down. Tell him about the baby and tell him about it now because you need him now more than ever. You don’t need to do this alone. This is going to be a long nine months, sweetie. You’re going to need all of the support that you can get.” Dr. Leyland watched the tears begin to slide down my cheeks.
“Damn,” I whispered to myself.
* * *
I didn’t call Aaron, and he’d been blowing my phone up from the moment that I stepped foot in the hospital. I wanted to shout from the highest mountain tops that I was having his baby, but it hurt at the same time. I was afraid of losing the baby. Everything that I loved, I always lost. I called Anastasia as soon as Dr. Leyland signed the discharge paperwork. Anastasia was already at play auditions and sent 24-K back to get me.
24-K was the black light-skinned version of Pippy Longstocking. She had a honey-beige complexion with red hair and freckles. She was thick in all the right places and danced just as good as Anastasia. She worshipped the ground that my cousin’s wife walked on. Kind of reminded me of how the dance squad used to follow Alisha’s every move back in high school.
I didn’t say much as we drove to the auditions in 24-K’s black and chrome Jaguar. She glanced at me, looking out the window. “Twinkie, she doesn’t mean to be so hard on you. You do know that, right?” 24-K spoke over my thoughts of Aaron.
I looked at her. “What?” I had heard her, I just couldn’t believe she had the nerve to actually try to have a conversation with me. 24-K was one of the biggest haters in the crew. She really couldn’t stand the fact that Anastasia was taking a chance on me. Cousin Darryl had to put her in her place on several occasions.
“Anastasia wouldn’t push you so hard if she didn’t believe in you. She knows you can’t dance like us. The crowd she rolls with likes them teasers, girl, that’s why she’s just trying to bring out the sexy in you. Sex sells. No matter how pretty you are, boo, sex sells.” 24-K looked straight ahead, fiery red hair blowing in the wind behind her.
I rolled my eyes. “So, who do we have for these auditions? Not really trying to be here all day; I have shit to do. And Aaron has been texting me for the past three hours.”
24-K grinned to herself. “Oh, you’ll see.”
I looked at her, getting a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
* * *
“Oh my muthafuckin’ goodness, these niggas are awful!” Anastasia whispered to me at the judge’s table that afternoon down at Passion Productions. She looked up at the young man on stage before us, who was trying his hardest to impress her. Everyone in Atlanta looked up to Anastasia. “Sweety, ummm, we have your information. We’ll be in touch. Next!” Anastasia flashed the boy a fake smile.
The young boy, who had to be about seventeen, sighed, then walked off stage.
“Please scratch his name off my muthafuckin’ list, OMG!” Kenya Love exclaimed, not even waiting for the boy to make it all the way off of the stage.
Kenya’s assistant, Sandra, scratched the boy’s name off of the list.
Kenya Love was one of the biggest black playwrights in the country. She had started to produce movies, and not to mention was about to have her own television station. She was big, and she wanted to work with me, someone who hadn’t even been on the scene for a year. “Please tell me that we have someone else coming, P. Jones, cuz this line up you have coming up in here ain’t hittin’ on shit but my nerves!”
“Oh, my dude will be here, trust.” Anastasia grinned.
I looked at her. By that grin on her face, I wasn’t even about to ask what she had up her sleeve. I figured it must have been one of Kenya’s ex-boyfriends. Anastasia was real messy. The more I got to know her over that year and a half, the more she reminded me of the chicks who I ran away from in Maryland.
Anastasia looked at me texting on my phone. She saw that I wasn’t into any of the people who’d walked through that door in the last hour. I’d finally decided to text Aaron. He wanted to meet me for dinner at 6:30, and it was already 4:00.
“You okay, cuz? You still mad at me from earlier?” Anastasia asked.
I looked into her pretty face.
She poked her lip out, making the cutest pouty face.
“You’re too pretty to be such a bitch.” I rolled my eyes.
“Well, you can call me anything, just don’t call me broke.” She rolled her eyes back. “So, what did the doctor say?”
“That I need to slow down. That I won’t be able to go on tour with you.” I started to explain, but she cut me off, waving her finger at me as soon as I mentioned not being able to go on tour with her.
“What? Do you know how much we have invested in this tour? You’re the main attraction, boo! How you not gonna be there? The entire theme is you!” Anastasia rolled her eyes at the big-boned dude who stood before her. “What’cha gonna sing, Mr. T? Can you even sing? Please don’t waste my time.”
The plump older gentleman, who was dressed very nicely, opened his mouth to sing. And before he could even get a tun
e out, a familiar voice was singing over our shoulders.
“Maybe this decision was a mistake. You probably don’t care what I have to say.” It was a voice I hadn’t heard since the day I left Maryland.
My heart pounded in my chest at the sound of his voice, and I was afraid to turn around. Anastasia, Kenya, and Sandra turned around, all smiling from ear to ear. I could see all of the chicks around us jumping the fuck up and down, fanning themselves as he sang.
“I just wondered do you ever think of me anymore. Do you?” Jamie knew exactly which song would appeal to my emotions. What song by Ne-Yo doesn’t leave your heart feeling some type of way?
I rose in my chair, slowly turning around to see Jamie walking down the aisle, looking like he just stepped off the set of a rap video.
I looked at Anastasia. Oh, I could’ve wrung her neck.
Anastasia winked at me. “Let the show begin.”
Chapter 8: Money OverEverything
Ne’Vaeh
“Hell no, Anastasia!” I paced back and forth across Anastasia’s office.
Anastasia sighed, sitting on top of her desk, dressed in a tight, green romper and matching green stilettos. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, long bangs swooped to the side. “Calm down, Ne’Vaeh! This is an awesome idea! He is perfect for this part!”
I looked at her, frowning, furious. “And you knew all day that he was coming? And your ass couldn’t even tell me?”
“Well, actually, he called me last week on Tuesday,” Anastasia cut me off. “And before you curse me out, he asked me not to tell you.”
My eyes grew wider, “He asked you not to—” I stopped because I should have known she wouldn’t do anything that Jamie asked her not to do. She had a weakness for them thug types, though she’d never admit it out loud. I was so disappointed in her total disregard for my feelings about Jamie. I had to say something about it. “Anastasia, you watched me cry over this muthafucka for damn near ten months! I almost died giving birth to his dead baby, and you wanna throw this shit back in my face by letting this dude try out for this play? How could you?” I exclaimed.
It's Wrong for Me to Love You, Part 3 Page 13