“Man you probably just gave me this to keep me content while you were out there doing you.”
“Damn T, give a nigga some credit. I gave you that ring because I love you, you’re already my wife we are already married if you ask me.”
“Oh no Tony we are not married, I didn’t walk down no aisle and if we were married then you did a good job at committing adultery.”
“Man, stop all that stupid talk. I love you and my daughter so much; I ain’t shit without y’all, that’s real talk. My family is all I have. And trust me baby, I don’t be meaning to put my hands on you. It just seems like you start blitzing about something at the wrong time. A nigga be stressing and you over here asking who I’m fucking. I don’t wanna hear all that bullshit ass drama all the time. You need to know who you are to me.”
“You want me to know who I am to you Tony? Let me tell you what that means to me. To me that means ‘Tiara, you are the one that I want to be with but I’m fuckin’ other people.’ So don’t give me that shit. And since when have you been stressing? We tell each other everything, now all of a sudden when your dirt surfaces your claiming that you’re stressed out?”
I waved my hand before continuing. “I don’t want to hear it! I play my position, I take care of our child, our household and I was managing our finances so I don’t see nothing for you to be stressing about.”
“See that’s because you have had this fucked up attitude lately and I don’t want to talk to you about anything.”
I shifted in my seat so that my back was to my door so that I could look at him while he drove.
“Do I have a reason to have an attitude Tony? Let me fuckin’ remind you.” I started naming shit on each finger. “I find out about your little mistress, you lie to me about knowing her. My girl peeps you leaving the club with her. I find naked photos and condoms and now the bitch is still calling your damn phone. How am I supposed to feel?”
He lit his blunt and took a puff.
“I hear you talking T but most of the shit you said are lies and a bunch of bullshit. She wasn’t my mistress. I told you that shit was all about business and it’s done. Those condoms and pictures weren’t mine, they were Shawn’s.”
I shifted to sit in my original position because I couldn’t look at this compulsive liar any longer. All of a sudden the condoms and pictures were Shawn’s? Come on now. I wanted to rip his tongue out and throw it onto the street.
I couldn’t hold back any longer so I brought his bullshit to the surface. “So the pictures and condoms are Shawn’s now?” I shook my head. “Tony you never cease to fuckin’ amaze me man, I can’t take this shit straight up. It’s like I was straight wasting my breath talking to you just now.”
He reached over and put his hand on my thigh and rubbed it. “I love you baby, I’m sorry if I hurt you in any way. But you’re making it bigger than what it is. I don’t want that girl. If I wanted her then I would be with her. Nothing or no one would make me leave my family, remember that. I know what I have and I’ll never let it go.”
I sat amazed at Tony’s compulsive lying. I was so pissed off and couldn’t believe that I was going through some shit like this. He didn’t own up to any fuckin’ thing.
At this point in my life, I was supposed to be happy. I should be indulging in the new rejuvenated Tiara, not stressing. And from Tony’s dumb replies, I could tell shit wasn’t going to get any better.
We pulled up to our house the same time as Tony’s aunt. She had picked up the baby for us since she got out of work early every other day.
I gave his aunt a hug and thanked her before she left and we all settled inside of our once cozy home. It was now smothered with tension and animosity. I headed straight upstairs and Tony followed behind me rubbing my ass as if he wanted everything to go back to normal just like that.
“You cooking baby?”
I reached my hand to take his hand off my ass and said, “No!” And I rolled my eyes at him.
“T, you’re still on that shit? How long are you gonna keep acting like this? It’s getting old.”
“Fuck you Tony,” I said as I headed inside of our bedroom.
Shit was not going to go back to being lovey-dovey just like that. Not only was he still lying but who knows where the fuck he really went when he took that extended lunch break today. Everything that he did irked me.
He took off his suit and shoes and headed downstairs to do the usual. Either watch ESPN or play that damn video game. He was still too comfortable thinking that he had it made with just throwing lies at me and me not leaving him but it only revved up my adrenaline to fuck Ashley up more and to eventually leave his whack ass.
I changed my clothes and threw on my BCBG Velour sweat suit, my Diesel sneakers and then prepared my daughter a kid cuisine meal. I had to fix her something quick so that I could hurry up and meet Renee.
“I’m finished mommy.”
I examined her plate; she had eaten all of her nuggets, her macaroni and cheese but picked over her vegetables.
“Eat some more of your peas baby.”
“I don’t like them mommy, I don’t want no more.”
“Just eat a little more for mommy baby.”
“Aww man.” She pouted.
Tony listened from the couch in the living room and decided to add in his two cents.
“She don’t have to eat them nasty ass, fake ass peas, you shoulda cooked us a real meal.”
I smirked at Tony but instead of getting mad I kindly suggested that he made sure that Shayonna was bathed and ready for bed before nine o’clock and he agreed. So I picked up my purse and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Tony asked.
“Nowhere,” I said shutting the door behind me.
I hopped in my car, called Renee to tell her that I was on my way.
I was focused.
Ashley was finally about to feel me.
Chapter Six – Still Hood
When I arrived at Renee’s house, she was already outside waiting but she looked a bit strange. She had on a baseball cap, a dark pair of glasses and she didn’t pick her face up from looking down. I followed her with my eyes all the way up until she got into the car.
“Girl we are going to whoop someone’s ass not a jewelry store heist. What up with the black hat and glasses?” I joked.
Renee got in the car, shut the door behind her and finally looked at me. She tilted her glasses toward her nose. Her right eye was swollen like someone had stuffed cotton balls inside and it was almost sealed shut.
“Oh hell no! Who the fuck did this to you?” I griped.
“Chill T, calm down.” She put her glasses back on.
“It was that nigga Tank. I been fuckin’ him for a month now and the nigga was acting cheap with his gwap. Not only that, but he was mad disrespectful with it talking about he ain’t giving me shit. So I told him not to bring his raggedy ass to my crib anymore. I wasn’t fuckin’ his little dick ass for free. Plus I know his girl, me and her are cool.”
I had to interrupt her. “Wait Renee you know his girlfriend and you’re cool with her? Why are you fucking one of your people’s man?”
“You know her too T, remember Bianca that used to babysit for you?”
“The little good girl?” I asked surprised.
“Yeah that’s his so-called girlfriend. He got him a good girl but he be fuckin’ around on her so after he kept poppin’ off at the mouth I told him that I would tell his girl about us and that’s when the nigga started tripping.”
“I can’t believe he put his hands on you, he forced it.” I searched her entire face with my eyes when she took her glasses completely off. “Renee look at your lip, one side is swollen!”
“I know T, I ain’t trippin’. I’ma have some nigga’s see him.”
“You damn right! I ain’t got no sympathy for a cheater let alone a nigga that hits a chick. But you have to stop fuckin’ with people’s men, you’re too old for that shit, you need to find you
a good dude and settle down. You should be someone’s wife not someone’s ho.”
“T, please don’t start with that preaching shit.”
“There is a difference between preaching and keeping it real, you’re my friend, I wouldn’t be real if I didn’t tell you how I felt. I just want you happy, it’s about that time don’t you think?”
“Yeah, yeah I know,” Renee said disregarding me.
I took the key out of the ignition and Renee quickly sat all the way up in her seat.
“Why you stop the car?” she snapped.
“Girl you think you’re coming with me to fight and you’re already bruised up?”
“And why not?” She asked, ready for war.
That was my bitch, always down regardless of what her own situation was; I loved her for that.
I paused for a second and then said, “Fuck it.” I started the car and we were out.
“Where does she live at again Renee?”
“She lives in Fields Corner, off Bowdoin Street.”
Renee folded down the passenger seat mirror and began analyzing her bruised grill. I frowned at the sight of her fucked up face. Renee was my girl, so when something happened to her, I felt like it was happening to me.
“Yo, when we done with Ashley we are driving right over to my brother Trè’s block to kick it with his boys. One of them niggas are gonna have to get at Tank for putting his hands on you straight up.”
She put her glasses back on and sat back.
“Hell yeah, that nigga lost his mind doing this shit.”
Twenty minutes later we arrived on Bowdoin Street. The block wasn’t that full, it was a little too chilly for niggas to be out anyway so it was perfect timing for us to handle our business. Renee pointed at a green house. “That’s her crib right there, number 120 and that’s her sitting there braiding some niggas hair. I heard she be making money braiding the heads of some of the nigga’s she be selling weed to.”
I pulled over and parked a little further up from her house. We had a clear visual of Ms. muthafuckin’ Ashley. I wanted to get out right then and there and mop the sidewalk with her whack ass weave. I felt like every other woman would feel if they came in contact with their man’s mistress, I wanted to off her.
It wasn’t too long until she twisted up the last braid and the dude stood up to pay her. I cracked my door anticipating for him to walk off so that I could catch Ashley before she went into her crib.
“T, chill out, wait till the nigga leave, you see my face, I ain’t trying to fight no more dudes today.” I ignored Renee and kept my eyes on Ashley and placed one foot on the curb. As soon as that dude sat in his car and peeled off, I ran up to the porch like a track star and snatched Ashley up by her hair. She was completely caught off guard.
She screamed, “Get the fuck off me!” When she peeped my face and realized it was me, a look of shock spread across her grill.
“Remember me bitch?” I asked before pounding the fuck out of her face. “Your nasty ass is still calling my man, you just don’t get enough you thirsty ass stank ass bitch!” I threw blows to her face and body. I was actually fighting over a damn man which was pissing me off even more. I tried to make excuses for it in my head. My biggest excuse being that Ashley was disrespecting my family so fuck fighting over a man, I was fighting for Shayonna.
Ashley began exchanging punches with me and tried to match up to my skills. She screamed out for her friend, “Kiaaa! Come out here.”
Her friend heard her cries and rushed outside and flew down the stairs once she noticed us fighting. Renee immediately snatched her up and started handling her. I managed to gain full control of my fight with Ashley and had that ho on the ground. She began running her mouth more than I was.
“Bitch, you’re just mad cause your man keeps coming back!”
I kicked her harder making sure that I would leave bruises on that mouthy bitch but she continued to pop off at the mouth.
She uncovered her face to let out some words that I’m sure she regretted moments later.
“That’s why we fucked in your house, in your bed.” She couldn’t cover her face fast enough and I stomped her in the mouth as hard as I could. I made her eat them fuckin’ words. I stomped hard enough to knock all of her teeth out but they were still intact however drowned in blood. The stomp also managed to shut her up. She covered her mouth and lay frozen in pain. That was enough for me, I felt like revenge was well served and she lay in excruciating pain.
I glanced over at Renee and even though I was all riled up from giving Ashley the business, I kinda giggled at the sight of Renee digging in Ashley’s friend’s ass with a baseball cap and glasses on. The sight of that shit was hilarious. I walked toward Renee to pull her crazy ass off of Ashley’s friend because she was beating her like she was getting revenge on Tank; she was letting a lot of frustration out on that bitch.
When I looked down at the girl, I couldn’t help but notice that she looked familiar, she kept blocking her face from Renee’s kicks but I could tell that I knew her. When Renee finally stopped kicking her I realized that the girl was Takia. Boston seemed too damn small at that point.
Takia was a bitch that I had got into countless fights with growing up. We were arch enemies. I whooped her ass so many times that I was now beginning to think that Ashley tearing my family apart was karma for everything that I been through with punk ass Takia. At first I couldn’t tell it was her because she got a bit chubby. I had heard through the streets that she had like two seeds from two different niggas. But damn, she truly let herself go and now looked a sloppy ass mess.
“Come on Renee let’s go!” We jogged back to the car.
“You see who that was T?”
Renee was just as shocked as I was to see Takia. I peeled off and Renee continued talking pounding her fist into her palm.
“Dog, out of all the bitches in the world, her homegirl is Takia. I haven’t seen that bitch in years. She got all big and shit. She’s ugly as fuck now.”
We both laughed.
“And T, I seen that stomp you dropped on Ashley’s grill.” She reached over to give me dap. “It’s still in you my nigga. I thought the suburbs took the hood out of you.”
I glared over at Renee. “Bitch please never that, I just ain’t fighting over petty shit anymore. But when it comes to my family and friends, anything goes. You already know.”
“I respect that, you one loyal bitch.”
I continued to drive, my destination was now Trè’s block which was about a ten to fifteen minute drive depending on which way I drove. I knew that there would be a few niggas outside that I could talk to about getting at Tank for Renee. It was a gamble by doing this because niggas would do anything for me on the strength of Trè but Renee had no older brothers or other niggas that would ride for her so I had to take charge of this. She was my homey so I felt like I had to do something. Hopefully they would just shake Tank up or fuck him up enough to know not to ever put his hands on her again.
I decided to take the back streets to Trè’s block which led me to roll by the apartment building where I grew up. The sight of the building was too painful for me to face. Renee noticed my eyes glossing up while rolling by the building and she sympathized by gently rubbing my back. All I kept picturing was me, my mom and my two brothers living in that building at a time when we were all happy. It brought back so many painful memories in my life that I often tried to block out in order to maintain my sanity that I had to look the other way.
My mom cutting me and Trè off and blaming us for the death of Sharod hurt like someone stuck a knife through my heart daily. We were supposed to be tighter than this. She was our mom, we were supposed to be each other’s backbone and get through our loss together.
Instead, Trè and I only had each other as family and since he wasn’t around I put my all into Tony and Shayonna. And look where the fuck putting my all into Tony is getting me?
I began to resent the hood. Don’t get me wrong, it ma
de me the strong individual that I am today but I felt like the dark cloud that has brought me bad luck since my youthful years was not only over my head but overshadowing the whole hood. It was like a cloud of pure evilness. It caused many mothers to lose their children to the streets, bad choices and wrong decisions leaving a lot of hearts desolate.
I passed about four poles on the same block full of colorful teddy bears and “I Miss You” signs from the loved ones of people who lost their family or friends on that particular part of the street. I beeped at some of the drug dealers that I knew who were still hanging out on the same corners that they had considered their territory from back when I lived around there. I couldn’t believe how some of them were still out risking their freedom nickel and diming. Some things just never seemed to change. But some people just have no way out so I did have to thank God for getting me out of the hood, even though I still had problems like the bullshit I was going through with Tony but I’ll manage to brave it out.
A Hood Chick's Story pt. 2 Page 7