A Hood Dilemma is Still Bittersweet: A Naptown Triangle (A Bittersweet Hood Dilemma Book 3)

by Natavia

  “I’m not hearing that shit, my nigga. You fell for a gold-digger. Who’s to say Tassana ain’t scheming on you now?” Lee asked me.

  “Muthafucka’, who’s to say Desiree ain’t setting you up to get robbed? Honestly, I’m not trying to hear about Tassana shooting you neither. Nigga, we are even. You must have forgotten how we switched cars all those years back. You didn’t tell me why you wanted to switch. Come to find out you robbed a nigga and he was looking for your car. Well, guess who had your car? I did, nigga. I got shot behind your bullshit. You didn’t tell me shit, nigga. I could’ve gotten killed. We can discuss that if you want to get technical. I could’ve bodied your ass then,” I said to him.

  “Nigga, just drop me off at the hospital,” Lee spat. I arrived at the hospital ten minutes later. I reached in my backseat, grabbing my gym bag then handed it to Lee.

  “Your sweaty gym clothes?” Lee asked me.

  “What you want to do, nigga? You want to walk in there naked with a bleeding ass. They would run all kinds of test on you for drugs. Now, put this shit on and hit me up when you want me to come back. I need to get at least a few hours of sleep,” I said to Lee.

  “Kyree ran her mouth, I know she did. It wasn’t her place to tell Ivanka shit,” Lee said.

  “That ain’t my shorty, nigga,” I said to Lee. He snatched the bag from me then started getting dressed but he was taking his time.

  “Nigga, hurry up. They see two men in here and one got his dick out, they might think we are doing something,” I said, looking around. After he got dressed, I gave him dap, telling him to hit me up later. When I got home I crashed as soon as I got in the bed. I’d figure out how to get his blood out of my seat later.

  I woke up to the sounds of Tassana throwing up in the toilet. She came back in the bedroom looking a little pale. “Osari, I don’t feel good,” she said groggily.

  “You drank too much,” I said to her.

  “I woke up with a sore body. I can’t really remember last night,” she said, holding her head.

  “That’s good, shorty, because you was on some other shit,” I said.

  “My pussy is sore,” she said getting back into bed.

  “I’m sure it is. You straight up just raped a nigga. You was going buck wild on me. But you and Kyree need to squash y’all’s little beef now though. She and I just speak when we see each other. That’s all that’s going on between us. Kanae was even ready to swing on Shimmy and Kyree last night. Kanae’s a little weird, but shorty was throwing some serious blows last night. She was ducking and dodging hits then coming back with two-pieces,” I said laughing.

  “Kanae’s father was a boxer; she even has me taking boxing classes at the gym,” Tassana said.

  My cell phone rang. I answered it. “Yooooo,” I said into the phone.

  “They found her,” my mother cried.

  “Found who?” I asked her.

  “Tasira,” she sobbed into the phone. I forgot all about my sister. I didn’t feel nothing for her after she confessed she had our father killed. I could’ve died because the men that killed my father had stabbed me multiple times.

  “Is she dead?” I asked my mother, hoping she told me she was. If Quron didn’t take care of her like he said then that meant I had to put a bullet hole in her head myself.

  “Yes. They want me to identify her body but I’m fucking blind. All these years I’ve been okay with my blindness but not this time, Osari. I want see my daughter,” she cried. My heart softened up a little bit. “Okay, Ma, how about I go to see her for you?” I asked her. I hoped Tasira was bloated and rotten.

  “Okay,” my mother said. After I talked to her for a few more minutes, I hung up with her. Tassana was rubbing my back.

  “You want me to come?” she asked.

  “Yeah, you might as well. That way when we leave we can pick up O.J. together. I’m not trying to deal with people I don’t know,” I said to Tassana. After we showered and got dressed, we headed to the morgue.

  Tasira lay on the table with a sheet over her. “How was she found?” I asked the medical examiner.

  “Someone was trying to bury their dead dog. When they dug up the dirt they came across a box. They opened it and found a dead body along with snakes. It was an awful way to die. I have been doing this for thirty years and have never seen a murder this gruesome,” the Caucasian man said. Tasira didn’t smell from being dead so long. He pulled the sheet back. Tassana covered her mouth then hurriedly rushed out of the room. Tasira almost looked like she had been dead for years. I only knew it was her because of the diamond bracelet on her wrist, I’d gotten it for her birthday last year.

  “She was buried with poisonous snakes too. One snake bite can be lethal. Venom eats your insides up, making it rot. This is a body of a two-year-old corpse,” the medical examiner said. I turned my head away from her then stepped back. He covered her back up. I walked out of the morgue then called my mother.

  “Was it her?” she asked.

  “Yes, Ma, It was her. I can set up the funeral arrangements,” I told her. I really didn’t want to, but because it was for my mother, I didn’t have a choice. I would do anything to make her happy.

  “I guess she is in a better place. Tasira was so troubled and cold-hearted. I always had a feeling she wouldn’t make it past thirty, but at the end of it all, she is still my daughter,” my mother sobbed. After I got off the phone with her, I walked over to Tassana.

  “Yo, are you okay?” I asked, caressing the back of her neck.

  “I never saw a dead body before. That could’ve been me on that slab. Oh, God, Osari, that could’ve been me,” she cried.

  “Ain’t shit going to happen to you. You let me worry about that,” I told her.

  After we left the morgue, we headed to get our son. Kanae’s mother seemed nice, but I don’t trust random people watching my son.

  “Check him for bruises,” I told Tassana when she put him in the backseat of my car. He was cooing and babbling. “What’s going on, lil’ man? You missed daddy, didn’t you? Your slow ass mama dropped you off huh?” I said, reaching into the backseat, tickling his stomach.

  “Kanae’s mother has watched him a few times,” Tassana said.

  “I don’t give a damn about all of that, shorty. Check my son before I pull out of this driveway,” I said to her. She rolled her eyes then started checking under his clothes. He smelled clean and I could tell he was taken care of, but I wanted to make sure.

  “He is fine,” Tassana spat.

  Kanae’s mother walked out of the house. “Is everything, okay?” she asked Tassana.

  “Yes, Mrs. Bernie, everything is fine. I thought he pooped but it was a little gas,” Tassana lied. Mrs. Bernie sweetly waved at us then went back into the house. Tassana got in the passenger seat then slammed the door. “What is your problem, now?” I asked her.

  “You have issues,” she said to me.

  Moments later, I dropped Tassana off at her crib. She didn’t want me to leave, but I had a few things to take care of. I had to check on my money and a few other things that I didn’t want her to know about. When I got back to Annapolis, I pulled up to a gated community full of luxury condos. I got out of my car then rang the buzzer. Laura’s voiced boomed through the speaker.

  “Come on up, Osari. I almost thought you wasn’t going to make it,” Laura said. The main door opened. I walked up to the third floor and there she was, waiting for me. She was dressed in her business attire, her hair was bone straight with square, black glasses covering her eyes. Laura was thirty-two years old.

  “I had a few things to take care of,” I said, walking inside the condo. I kicked my shoes off then got comfortable on her couch. She sat across from me with her legs crossed. I knew I should’ve told Tassana about her, but I couldn’t. I didn’t know how to. Hopefully, this would be over before Tassana found out. Tassana called my phone, but I couldn’t answer, I sent her text instead. Tassana texted me back telling me she just wanted to talk to
me and that she wished I had stayed with her and our son.

  “No phones, Osari. You know the rules. Calls are to be made before you come in here. When you come in here, the phone is either on silent or turned off,” Laura said sternly. I turned my phone off, giving Laura my attention.

  “Does Tassana know that you come to see me?” Laura asked me.

  “No, she doesn’t. I don’t want her to know. This is my personal problem,” I said to her.

  “Why don’t you want to tell her, Osari? I think it’s about time you tell her that you’ve been coming here for a cool minute, now,” Laura said.

  “I’m not telling her shit. She’ll take my son away from me. Now, can we move forward? I have shit to do,” I told Laura.

  “Fair enough. Just know that it isn’t good to keep things from her,” she spat.

  After I left Laura’s, I ended up swinging by Dez’s grandmother’s house. Nana cooked and she had a plate waiting for me. When I walked into the house, the smell of fried chicken hit me. Nana came out of the kitchen sipping on a Heineken. She wasn’t any kin to me, but I grew up around her when I was younger.

  “Where is the baby?” she asked me.

  “He is with his mother,” I answered, walking into the kitchen.

  “I keep telling you to bring him over. I be bored in this big house all by myself. If it wasn’t for Rayshawn, I would be losing my mind. Speedy is always out and about. He gets around more than I do,” Nana said. She warmed up my plate then handed it to me. I was starving.

  Dez came upstairs. "Are we going to the strip club tonight?” he asked me.

  “Y’all lil’ boys are hot in y’alls nut sacks. Neither one of y’all are over twenty-two,” Nana fussed.

  “I will be twenty-two in a few weeks. I’m grown over here, Nana,” I said to her.

  “Yeah, we are grown, Nana. Once a nigga becomes a father, that’s it,” Dez said. Nana popped Dez playfully.

  “You two are still little boys to me. I don’t care how tall y’all are or how grown y’all look,” Nana said popping open another beer.

  “Osari, is your son’s mother older than you too? What, there aren’t any younger women left for y’all?” Nana asked.

  “Yeah, my baby mama is a few years older than I am. I can’t mess with a broad my age or younger. I would’ve been gave her walking papers,” I said. Nana headed up the stairs while Dez headed downstairs to grab his tennis shoes.

  Speedy rolled into the house. “What’s up, young buck,” Speedy said, patting me on the back.

  “Shit, chilling. What’s good with you?” I asked him.

  “Nothing, just came back from the liquor store,” he said, pulling a big bottle of Henny from under his shirt.

  “How did you take this? This bottle is bigger than your whole torso,” I said to Speedy.

  “Don’t worry about it. I sped through there, took it then sped back out. They don’t call me Speedy for nothing, nigga,” he said. The bottle slipped from out of his chair. He reached forward trying to get it but he fell forward. “Aww, shit. Help me up,” Speedy said to me.

  “I ain’t got shit to do with that, nigga. You still owe me twenty dollars from the other day,” I said to him. I got up then picked up the bottle of Henny.

  “Help me up, man,” Speedy said rolling around on the floor.

  “Come on, Speedy, even the lil’ engine that could, did it. I saw you walk on your stubs plenty of times. You ain’t fooling me like how you do Nana,” I said to him.

  “Wait till I get up,” Speedy threatened me.

  “I’ll give you one hundred dollars right now if you get up. I got some kush in my pocket we can blow outside on the porch,” I said to him. Speedy raised himself up with his arms, pulled himself into the chair with ease. I started patting my pockets. “Oh, my bad, man. I left my money at home. See if Dez got it,” I said walking out the kitchen. Speedy was calling me all types of names. “Come blow with me,” I said to him. He hurriedly wheeled himself to the front door. Speedy and I kicked it, sipping on Henny and getting blazed. When Dez came out of the house, we got into my car then peeled off.

  “Swing me by Kyree’s house real quick. I need to give Shimmy some money,” Dez said.

  “Doesn’t she work?” I asked Dez.

  “Nigga, doesn’t Tassana work? I’m going to be quick,” Dez said. I headed in the direction of Kyree’s house. When I pulled in front of Kyree’s house, Shimmy, Shannon and Kyree were all around front kicking it. Dez got out of the car.

  “Be quick,” I said to him. Kyree switched towards my car, her long weave swaying side to side. She had on a baseball cap with a pair of jeans and a fitted hoodie. On her small feet were a pair of Air Max’s and like always her lipstick was on point. I couldn’t stay out of trouble even if I wanted to.

  “Get out of the car, Osari. I need to talk to you,” she said to me.

  “My leg fucked up from last night,” I said.

  “Shut the hell up, punk. I saw you last night and you were fine. Now step out and talk to me,” she said. I got out of my car then walked to the front of it. I leaned on the hood with my arms crossed. “What’s good, shorty?” I asked her.

  “I just need some closure,” she said.

  “About what, Kyree? I’m lost right about now,” I said, not feeling where this conversation was headed.

  “You just cut me off for Tassana.” I chuckled.

  “You want to talk? Okay, let’s talk. After this we ain’t discussing this anymore. Have you and I ever talked about being together? Was that ever our intentions? Yes, I have feelings for you. Yes, the chemistry was there, but that’s how far it was going to go,” I said.

  “I just thought that you would’ve waited,” Kyree said.

  “Waited for what? So, let me get this straight. You was in love with another nigga and still fucking him, but you thought I was going to stick around for you to decide if you wanted to be with me? Kyree, there are a lot of things wrong with this picture. You and I have never talked about being in a relationship. Had I known that’s what you wanted, I would’ve backed off. You gave me the impression that you didn’t want one,” I said.

  “I didn’t at first until I caught feelings for you,” she spat.

  “Shorty, check this out. My son is my son regardless of who birthed him. You don’t accept him and I’m not rocking with a bitch who can’t. You just want me, but you don’t want to deal with my son because of his mother. I’m not a sucker-ass nigga. No woman is going to tell me who my son is and who isn’t. You can’t accept what I come with. You can’t have everything your way, so, again, what is it that you want?” I asked her.

  “I think we could’ve tried to work it out,” she said.

  “You want me to fuck you again? I’m not a dumb nigga. You are beating around the bush. Just come out and say that you want me to bend you over,” I said to her. I saw the lust in her eyes. Kyree thinks she is confused when she really isn’t. Kyree liked how I sexed her. Her body was craving me again. I already knew what it was. She leaned into me, my dick hardened up.

  “Am I wrong for craving something that I enjoy?” she asked then kissed my lips.

  “Yo, chill,” I said smirking then she laughed.

  “Okay, Osari, you have the truth. I’m in love with another man, but I crave your sex,” she admitted.

  “See, was that hard? You got my baby mama getting all gangsta because she thinks it’s something else,” I said pinching her cheek.

  She licked her lips. “Your sexy behind. Get gone, nigga, before I attack your ass,” Kyree laughed. That was the Kyree I was used to. Her chill attitude is what attracted me to her.

  “You got me harder than a brick, man. Get out of my face before I get into trouble,” I said to her. She leaned forward then gave me a big juicy kiss on my lips.

  “Goodbye, Osari,” she said switching off.

  “Tell Tassana I didn’t forget about last night,” Shimmy said when she walked Dez to my car.

  “Tassana doesn’
t even recall last night, but real shit, Shimmy, you are going to stop talking shit about my baby mama. When it all boils down to it you started the shit first. Y’all broads think y’all can just buck up on anybody and someone supposed to take that shit. I bet Kanae would knock your ass out,” I said to Shimmy.

  “Only one way to find out, nigga, but if you keep talking shit I will try and knock your ass out,” Shimmy said.

  “Dez, get your shorty. She thinks she’s the only muthafucka out here crazy, I got papers,” I said chuckling. Shimmy threw her soda can at me but missed.

  “Chill the fuck out, Shimmy. Damn,” Dez said to her.

  “Give me a kiss baby,” Shimmy said to Dez. He pecked her lips then got into the car.