by Shan
“I swea’ to God it’s something wrong with your ass! You mad ’cause I don’t wanna give your crazy ass no dick! You sneak into my house in the middle of the night, Selena, trying to get some dick from me while I’m fuckin’ ’sleep. You don’t think that shit is crazy?” Khi yelled, seeming to be frustrated as hell.
“Not when you’re my man, no, I don’t,” she shot back.
Hearing her call him her man made me tense up a little.
“I’m not your fuckin’ man, Selena, got damn! What the fuck you don’t understand about us being over? I’m done, my nigga, got damn!”
“Khi, no. Please no. I’ve been so miserable without you. I can’t eat; I can’t sleep. Please. What about the health of our unborn baby?” she cried and began to say some shit in Spanish that I couldn’t understand.
I watched as she brought her hand up and touched him on the chest. She then wrapped her hands around Khi’s neck and laid her head on his chest. He seemed to be so defeated by this chick as he stood there and allowed her to hug him for as long as she needed.
She cried for a good while before she turned her head toward him and tried to kiss him. He pushed her away, but that didn’t stop her. I knew that I should’ve walked away then and minded my own business, but when the chick dropped to her knees and went for Khi’s pajama pants, I was stuck. He didn’t seem too pressed to push her away this time when she pulled at the string, untied it, and pulled his dick from his pants. His thick muscle sprang to life and caused my mouth to water.
“Shit,” I said under my breath—or at least I thought I said it under my breath. Khi’s head shot up, and he looked directly at me. I tried to back up, but shorty saw me too, and her entire face turned red. She cocked her head to the side, and her eyes grew wide. This bitch seemed like she had come straight out of an exorcism as she grabbed a knife from the counter and charged in my direction.
I backed away and took off running down the hall and back into the guestroom. I slammed the door shut behind me and locked it. I didn’t have anything to protect me from this broad, and I wasn’t about to be involved in any kind of shit that was going to have me back in jail. Fuck this shit and fuck this job. Khi wasn’t even my damn man, and I’d be damned if I was going to be fighting his damn baby mama over his ass.
“Aghhh, shit! You cut me, you stupid bitch!” I heard Khi scream, and my eyes grew big, but I refused to be another victim. In that instance, instincts that I didn’t even know existed inside of me kicked in, and I ran into the bathroom that was connected to a bedroom located on the other side of it. I ran into the bedroom and slowly pulled the door open to see Khian still wrestling her crazy ass over that knife. I shot out the room and made a quick dash for the stairs and ran up them two at a time.
I ran inside of Skylarr’s room and closed and locked the door behind me. She was still asleep, but I didn’t know how crazy that bitch was, and I didn’t want Skylarr to wake up and walk into anything. For some reason, I felt the need to protect her from her own mother. Khi had custody of his daughter for a reason, and I shook my head at the thought of his ass having another child with her. I paced back and forth across the bedroom floor, silently praying that everything was okay with Khi. I hoped she hadn’t cut him too bad and that he was going to be okay.
What seemed like hours passed by before I heard Khi calling out for me. I was a little hesitant about opening the door, but since I didn’t hear that dumb-ass girl screaming at the top of her lungs anymore, I felt like maybe it was safe. I pulled the door open and went to stand at the top of the stairs. Looking down, I saw Khi at the bottom with his back to me. He had a towel wrapped around his arm that was practically covered in blood.
“She gone?” I asked, and he quickly turned around and looked at me with a surprised look on his face.
“How the fuck you get up there?’ he asked.
“I came out the other bedroom. I was scared and didn’t know if she would try and hurt her own daughter,” I told him as I hesitantly made my way down the stairs.
“She’s not Sky’s mother.”
“You got two baby mamas?” I asked with a frown on my face.
“Fuck does it matter? But look, I appreciate you for looking out for my little one.”
“Yeah, okay,” I said, sort of taken aback by this nigga’s tone. I wasn’t the one that told him to lay down with that crazy bitch, but I was sure he thought shit was everything just based off the fact that the broad had a fat ass. It didn’t matter, though. I was about to leave him up in this bitch to deal with that attitude of his alone. I walked over to the bar area and grabbed the cordless phone from its base. I had memorized the cab company’s number, so I started dialing and placed the phone up to my ear when it began to ring.
“Yes I would like to—”
“What the fuck you doing?’ Khi asked as he snatched the phone out of my hand.
I turned around and mugged him like he was crazy. He stood there, dripping blood all over his carpet. He should’ve been focused on whether that bitch had hit an artery instead of worrying about what I was doing.
“I’m calling a cab. Can you give me back the phone, please?” I held my hand out, and he turned to walk away like he hadn’t heard me.
“I told you to stay.”
“No, I’m not fuckin’ staying here to deal with your dumb-ass baby mama drama. I’m not your girlfriend, nor will I ever be! You got that bitch trying to kill me like we fucked or something. I’m not beat for this shit, and I be damned if I sit around here and end up gettin’ in trouble because you can’t control that crazy-ass ho. Fuck this shit and fuck this job! I quit, and I’m leaving, so give me back the damn phone.”
“Cool,” was all that Khi said before he handed me the phone and headed up the stairs to Skylarr’s room. I redialed the number to the cab company and looked up just as Khi looked at me. I turned my back to him, and quickly after, I heard the door slam.
* * *
“Hey, what happened? Are you okay?” Tangie asked after opening the door for me. “I thought you said you were going to stay the night at Khi’s.”
“I don’t even wanna talk about it,” I told her and made my way toward the guestroom. I just wanted to curl up in the bed and go to sleep, but I guess Tangie didn’t take the hint when I told her that I didn’t want to talk about it, because she followed me into the room.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, Khi just had some drama going down at his house, and you know I’m not trying to be mixed up in no shit like that. I’m still on probation, you know,” I said, and she looked at me and shook her head.
“Damn, okay. You just scared me for a moment, that’s all. It’s late, and you knocking on the door like that had me worried. Get you some rest, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I want to go see my parents in the morning if you don’t mind. I’ll stay over a couple of hours to make up for the time I miss. I know that they probably don’t want to see me, but I won’t know that at least until I try. And spending that time with Skylarr has me really thinking about my nephew. I can’t stop wondering if he looks like Alaska . . . and, well, to see if he looks like Rue or Bry. Have you seen him?”
Tangie shook her head, and something about the way she looked told me she was lying. She had been keeping shit away from me that she thought was going to hurt me, and that was cool while I was locked up, but now was not the time to be hiding shit from me. I was a big girl, and I could handle it. Hell, after doing three years in prison, I honestly didn’t think anything could hurt me worse than that.
“I think going to see your parents is a good idea, Cuba, but at the same time, I just want you to be prepared for the worst of what could possibly come out of seeing them. You know that they blame you for Alaska even though the muthafucka responsible is still out there. I don’t want you to get your feelings hurt. If you want, I can go with you.”
“No, it’s okay. I want to do it by myself,” I told Tangie, and she nodded in understanding.
/> She made her way over to the dresser and grabbed a gift bag that I hadn’t even noticed was there. She walked back over and handed it to me. “I had been thinking about what kind of gift to give you as a welcome home present, and I realized today when Khi called me a hundred damn times trying to get in contact with you that you can really use your own cell phone.” She smiled, and I stood up to hug her.
“You’re too good to me, and you didn’t have to do this.”
“Umm, everybody needs a cell phone, honey. Don’t worry, the bill is paid for up to a few months, so it’s not going to interfere with your savings.”
“Thank you so much, Tangie. I swear, one day I’m going to pay you back for everything.”
Tangie waved me off and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. I got up and locked the door, and then placed a chair under the knob. Stripping down to my underclothes, I pulled the box out of the gift bag and smiled, seeing the brand-new iPhone. I had just gotten one as a gift from Rue right before being locked up, and I had never gotten a chance to enjoy it. I rushed to open the box and set up my new phone. I was like a kid in a toy store as I downloaded all kinds of apps and logged back into my Facebook page after being gone for three long years. I even took a bunch of selfies that I uploaded to Facebook and this app called Instagram that I had never heard of until now.
I must’ve played around on my phone until I was dead-ass tired, because the next thing I knew, I had woken up to the sun shining in my face and the iPhone laying on my chest. I picked it up and looked at the screen to see that it was a little after eight in the morning. I also noticed that I had a text from a number that I didn’t immediately recognize. Once I opened it up and went to the app, I saw that it was from Tangie.
Tangie: Good Morning, boo. Be sure to lock my number in, and I’ll see you when you come in. Good luck with your parents. Tangie.
Me: Thanks so much, Tangie, once again! I fell asleep playing on this thing, and now I’m tired as hell, but I will see you soon.
Send
* * *
I got up and went to the closet to find something to wear. I was so nervous thinking about my parents and wondering if they would allow me to see my nephew. It had been so long since I had seen and talked to them that it had me sweating even thinking about it. I loved my parents so much, and Lord knows that if I could go back and change things, I would. I didn’t understand why they had it out for me so bad. I knew that I had gone against them a lot when it came to Rue, but I was a young, dumb teenager. They acted like they had never been young once and had never made mistakes before, but hell, I had to remember my parents was some damn Goody Two-Shoes.
My mother had worked as an English teacher for the Dallas Public School system for thirty-two years before she retired, and my father had worked at Parkland Hospital as a registered nurse for more than fifty-one years. He had just gone into retirement a year before I graduated high school. They weren’t rich or anything like that, but their salaries combined had afforded us the opportunity to live in a good neighborhood and attend good schools, so it killed them that we always ventured off to the hood and dated niggas like Rue and Bry.
I shrugged my shoulders and was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard twisting and turning of the doorknob. I froze and stopped everything that I was doing, but I knew the muthafucka knew that I was in there. I shook my head, hoping and praying that he wouldn’t try to get up in there. The door began to twist again, and somehow, he was able to get the door unlocked, but the chair under the door stopped him.
I backed away, but remembered I now had a phone. I swiped it up from the bed and started to record everything that Camp was doing. If anything ever happened to me, I wanted to have proof that Camp was responsible for it.
“I’m calling the police!” I yelled, and he tried to push the door open again, but thank God for the chair. “You keep on pushing, you gonna break the door, and Tangie’s gonna wanna know how her door got broken.”
Finally, he stopped trying and walked away from the door, but now my ass was scared as fuck to leave out of there. What the fuck was he doing there anyway? That nigga was usually up and gone to work before Tangie, so why in the hell was he still there?
“Man, I gotta get the hell up out of here,” I said to myself as I realized I might’ve fucked up by quitting the little hustle I had going on with Khi. I pulled up my text message icon and went to send Tangie a message.
Me: Please send me Khi’s number.
Send.
I set my phone down on the bed and began to get dressed while constantly looking toward the door. After I was dressed, I checked my phone to see if Tangie had responded. She had. Quickly, I clicked down on the number, and then clicked down on SEND MESSAGE when it popped up.
Me: Khi, please forgive me for last night. I just freaked out after that shit popped off, but I really need my job. Trying to get on my feet and get my own crib. Please tell me the job is still mine. Cuba.
Send.
After I sent the message, I sat down on the edge of the bed and put my head into my hands. I didn’t know what the fuck Camp’s ass wanted with me when he had a chick like Tangie by his side. What the fuck was wrong with niggas? Tangie had her shit together. She wasn’t one of them bitches that sat around collecting government assistance and waiting on a nigga to take care of her. She was educated and had her own business that made her her own damn money. She was so fuckin’ kindhearted, and I knew for a fact that she loved Camp’s dog ass. Why the hell couldn’t that nigga appreciate that shit?
Niggas would fuck over a good woman all behind some new pussy that wasn’t even worth it, and hell yeah, I was saying I wasn’t worth it. What the hell was I going to do for that nigga? I only made $7.50 an hour, and the extra cash that Khi gave me didn’t even begin to add up to what I knew Tangie was doing. I was living in her guestroom, didn’t have a damn car, and just until last night, I didn’t even a phone. How dumb was this nigga?
“Ughhhh!” I screamed, debating whether I wanted to tell Tangie what was going on. I felt like she deserved to know that her man wasn’t shit, but what if she already knew and decided to get rid of me instead of him? I shook my head and began to pace the floor. Khi hadn’t texted back, and I had yet to hear Camp leave the house. I was going crazy in this bitch and felt like I could really use some good hay to calm my nerves. Damn, I hated the fact that I was on probation and couldn’t smoke like I wanted to.
After going crazy in my bedroom for an hour, I finally heard the door open and close. I made my way over to the window, peeked out the blinds, and spotted Camp once he stepped off the stairs. He walked through the parking lot to his car. I quickly ran to the door, removed the chair, and ran out of the room. I opened the door, took my key from my pocket, and locked the door.
I hurried down the stairs and took off running until I made it to the bus stop. By the time I sat down on the bench to catch my breath, my phone buzzed. It was Khi finally getting back to me.
Khi: Yeah, but your ass owe me a fuckin’ big-ass meal for the way you walked out on me while I was damn near dying. That was some ho-ass shit, big-headed-ass girl!
Me: Sorry. But I got you. Definitely . . . thank you so much
* * *
It took a couple of bus rides for me to make it to my parents’ house, and it was already going on noon. I knew I had told Tangie that I was going to make up the hours I was late, but I was thinking of just not going at all. I wanted to spend as much time at my parents’ house as I could if they allowed, plus Khi texted back saying he needed me at his crib no later than five.
Taking in a deep breath, I walked up the sidewalk that led up to the front door and rang the doorbell. I heard little feet running toward me on the other side of the door, and it caused me to smile with nervousness. I was so excited to see my nephew. I bet that he looked just like Alaska, and just thinking about it caused tears to form in my eyes.
“Who is it?” I heard my mother say from the other side of the door.
“What do you want, Cuba?” she asked, and my heart began to beat wildly in my chest.
“Mama, open the door, please. I want to see my nephew,” I said as the tears I held onto spilled down my face.
“Who is it, Nana?”
My nephew’s voice sounded so angelic, and I really, really wanted to see his little face. I held my hands together and took a couple deep breaths. I silently prayed to myself that she would just open the damn door. I could feel myself shaking on the inside as what seemed like minute after minute passed by. After realizing that she just wasn’t ready to forgive me, I turned around and walked away.
The moment I made it to the end of the sidewalk, I heard the locks clicking and the door unlatching from the hinges as it came open. I turned around, and my mother stood there with a scowl on her face. I hurried back down the sidewalk and laughed with joy as I caught a glimpse of my nephew poking his head between my mother’s legs.
“Hi, Mama,” I said to her, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off him. I kneeled down and just stared at him. He had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen, with smooth milk chocolate skin. He looked so familiar to me, but I knew it had to be because I had imagined what his face would look like thousands of times when I was behind those walls. He was everything that I thought he would be, and I wanted to hug and hold him so bad. He was the only piece of Alaska that I had left.
I held my hands out for him to come to me, and he smiled at me and tried to make his way to me, but my mother grabbed him and pulled him back.
“You saw him; now you can leave. Don’t you ever come by here again, Cuba. I’m warning you that I will call the police if you do.”