Side Chick Turned Wife: A Hood Romance

by Tamicka Higgins

  Before I knew it, it was time for me to go home. I was slightly buzzed but nothin too serious so I was still able to drive home. I headed to the back to the dressing room and counted all the money I had made tonight. I got lucky. Niggas came in with hundred dollar bills and decided to make that shit rain all over me when I was dancin’. So tonight I made about four thousand. I took my money and stuffed it into my Louis Vuitton bag before I grabbed my keys and headed out to my car. The same security nigga was outside and he helped me to my car, making sure no drunk idiots where outside tryna swoop one of us up. I got inside and thanked the buff guy before I cranked my ignition and pulled out to go back home. I was tired and all I wanted was to crash onto my bed.

  I made it back home safely and pulled my car into my garage before I headed into the house. I kicked off my heels and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. I washed off all the griminess and removed my makeup in the shower. As relaxing as it was to be in that damn shower, I wanted to sleep so I hurried up and got out. I patted myself dry before I grabbed an old baggy shirt to slide myself into. I then crawled back onto my Cali king and buried myself under the various comforters. This was heavenly and I needed some sleep after a long day.

  Chapter Six:

  Tyrek

  I really wanted to make this shit short and sweet. I really ain’t wanna hang around this lil hangout shit. Donte gave me a picture of this nigga and told me the location where he usually be at. I kind of laughed when I located this place ‘cause it was the nigga’s house, of course he gone frequent around his own damn house. It just looked like he was havin’ company over so I wanted to lay low as fuck in my car a couple blocks down the street. I didn’t wanna make my move or make my appearance until there wasn’t anyone else there. Looked like I was gone have to play the damn waiting game ‘cause it looked like they was for real havin’ a damn party.

  So I sat there and waited until they all left. In the meantime, I kept messin’ around with my phone and saw that there was a missed call from Cynthia. I didn’t want her ass gettin' on me and bein’ all bitchy and shit so I went ahead and called her crazy ass back.

  “Yo, what up?”

  “Hey. You good? I just wanted to call you to tell you that I loved you and that I was just wonderin’ if you was okay.”

  I looked at my phone all confused and made sure I was talkin’ to the right girl. I mean, it wasn’t too surprising for her to be sweet and caring ‘cause she is that way, but I guess I was just expecting her to be all bitchy and tellin’ me somethin’ that I did wrong.

  “Yeah, baby. I’m good. Are you?”

  She giggled and took a deep sigh.

  “Yeah, yeah. I just miss you is all. I just want shit to work between us and I noticed that I keep naggin’ you for a whole bunch of shit and I just don’t wanna do that to you no more. I want a future, babe.”

  There it was. She was subliminally bringing up that she wanted a fuckin’ ring and that she wanna be with me forever. I saw what this sneaky lil bitch was doin’ and I wasn’t about to fall for that shit.

  “Cynthia, if this is your way of apologizin’ for naggin’, keep it. Yo ass still gone bother me about wifin’ you up? Don’t think you bein’ slick and shit. You real life pissed me the fuck off right now, B.”

  She was silent for a moment and then the real Cynthia came to play.

  “Well damn, nigga! I was out here tryna right my wrongs but you wanna get all hyphy and shit and make me look like a bitch. Listen to me, you ain’t shit for doin’ me like this. Why can’t you see that I just wanna be somethin’ more than—”

  Click

  Nah, I wasn’t about to do this shit with her. Damn! Why can’t females see that I ain’t wanna commit right now. Maybe when I’m ready, I’ll go on and do that shit but for now I’m bout my business and I just wanna get this shit taken care of. Ooh, that bitch had me all wound up! She kept blowin’ up my phone with text messages and phone calls. This bitch left me hella voicemails tellin’ me how sorry she was and how she just wanna be married. Does she not realize that sayin’ sorry and then tellin’ me how she want me to wife her up defeats the damn purpose? I’m gettin' so tired of her.

  While I was flustered, I failed to realize that these niggas were long gone and peeled the fuck out of there. I turned on my car and crept in front of the house. I noticed that there was a blacked-out Tahoe sittin’ in the driveway. That was his car, which meant that nigga was there. Perfect. I crept down the street and parked my car a good distance from the house before I hopped out to make my pursuit. I had my nine in my right hand as I made my way up to the front of the house. I listened in to hear if there were any other people inside, but it sounded like there wasn’t. I was feelin’ bold as I made my way into the house through the front door. It was already partially opened so I just quietly let myself into the house. I looked around and didn’t see anyone, but I heard footsteps in the kitchen so I made my way in that direction. There he was. He was fumblin’ with some bottles of Ciroc.

  “Nigga, you James?” I said as I drew my nine and pointed it in his direction.

  He looked over at me and chuckled.

  “And who the fuck are you comin’ in my house like you own this shit? Yeah, I’m James,” he said as he leaned up against the counter now fumblin’ with something else that I couldn’t see.

  “That’s all I needed to know,” were my last words before I popped off at him.

  James had a gun managed to let off a couple rounds in my direction. He hit me in my left shoulder but I didn’t feel it until after I was done tryna murk the nigga. The adrenaline from goin’ face to face with this nigga took over my body and I didn’t feel a thing.

  After firing off at him, I was able to kill the nigga. It was then that my shoulder started to fuckin’ burn. I grabbed a dish towel from the counter and used it to cover my wound and to stop the bleeding. I didn’t know the extent of the injury, but I did know that I needed to get the fuck out of this house and away from here before some of his niggas came over.

  I looked over at him and made sure he was dead before I ran out the door and down to my car. I hopped in and peeled the fuck out of there. I checked my surroundings to make sure no one was followin’ me. I was paranoid as fuck as I drove home and couldn’t calm myself down until I actually got home and was inside of my house. Even then, it took me a minute to calm te fuck down. My phone rang in my pocket and it scared the shit out of me. I thought it was Cynthia callin’ to harass me and shit but it was Donte so I picked it up.

  “Tyrek, are you good?”

  “I’m good. I’m good. He dead though,” I said as I breathed heavily and struggled to catch my breath.

  “Fuck, this shit fuckin’ hurts!” I didn’t even mean to say it out loud, but I was just in pain.

  “Nigga! You get shot or somethin’? What’s wrong? You obviously not good, nigga, don’t be lyin’ to me like that.”

  I ran into my bathroom and placed my phone onto the counter. I put Donte on speaker as I took off my shirt and looked at my wound. It really wasn’t as bad as I was hypin’ it up to really be. The nigga just had really bad aim and managed to graze my arm. I took some alcohol and cleaned up the wound before tossin’ a big ass band-aid over it. I was cool now.

  “I’m good now, nigga. I thought dude did some damage to my shoulder but it looks like his weak ass just grazed it and I’m cool now.”

  “Aight then. Well, good shit on killin’ the nigga. I applaud you on that shit. Now we just wait it out and see if we get any updates on anyone in that group carryin’ on his mission. Hopefully they don’t do shit since they ain’t got no leader.”

  “Yeah, I hope so too. I’m gone get some rest now though. Did you need anythin’ else from me?”

  “Nah, we good. Good shit tonight. Get some rest, patna.”

  Click

  That was exactly what I was going to do, get some damn rest. Whew, tonight was a long one. First Cynthia’s crazy ass tried to be slick with her triflin’ ass
and then I got shot by some ugly ass nigga who was tryna take down Donte’s shit. I definitely deserved to get some sleep. So I just took off all my clothes and hopped into the bed. I was beyond exhausted so it really didn’t take that long for me to knock the fuck out.

  Chapter Seven:

  Danessa

  It was another usual day at the salon meaning that it was busy as hell and I was getting more and more tired by the minute. This was good business and all, but shit, I wish these people would just not come in at all for one day. I just wanted some sleep, or a drink or somethin’.

  I leaned my head on my desk in my office and closed my eyes for a moment. I was also depressed that I ain’t spoken to Tyrek in some time. Speaking of him, I reached over into my purse and fished for my phone. I unlocked the screen and tried to see if there were any missed calls or texts from him, but like I guessed, there was nothing. I mean, he did say that he had some shit that he had to handle and it wasn’t abnormal for him not to text or call me ‘cause I know that he has other shit to do. I ain’t even his main bitch anyway so I really can’t be all up on his nuts and make him talk to me. Now that I think of it, he only calls or texts me when he wants or needs me. Again, I ain’t mad about that, I love it when he calls me to be with him and gives me his attention, it kind of just sucks that he only talks to me when he wants to. I signed myself up for this shit though so I really can’t complain. I can’t say shit to Mel about it either ‘cause she already don’t like the nigga, so me rantin’ about how I miss him and how he ain’t talked to me in some days ain’t gone help my case. If anythin’, it’ll make it worse and I really don’t need Mel all up in my business tellin’ me how I need to get me a better man because Tyrek ain’t givin me what a normal man should. I really really like Tyrek, I don’t wanna just give up on him.

  I sat up and acknowledged Mel as she walked into my offfice. She gave me a look of confusion after she stared at me for a good minute.

  “What, Mel? Why you lookin’ at me like that?” I asked as I locked my phone screen and looked up at her.

  “Danessa, why you lookin’ like you got somethin’ on yo mind. You really look like you lost yo damn best friend but I’m right here so I don’t get it. Tell me what is goin’ on with you, lil momma.”

  “How many times do I need to tell you that there ain’t nothin’ wrong with me? I’m just tired, really tired. It’s been a long and busy day and you already know that.”

  “Danessa. I know you more than you know your fuckin’ self, girl. I know how you look when you really tired and I know how you look when you have somethin’ heavy on yo mind and yo ass just wanna be stubborn and not tell me!”

  I just rolled my eyes at her and did my best to ignore her. I flipped my phone screen back on and scrolled through Tyrek’s messages. Mel shook her head and closed the office door before she sat down in a chair by my desk.

  “Danessa. Stop playin’ with me! I see you lookin’ at yo phone. You waitin’ on yo little boyfriend to text you back?”

  I cut my eyes at her and clenched my jaw. I was so damn pissed off at her.

  “Mel, leave me the fuck alone, aight? Yeah, maybe I am waiting for him to text or call me back but what does that shit have to do with you? Absolutely nothing. Now leave my office and leave me alone while I wait for my little boyfriend to text me back ‘cause I know he will.”

  Mel looked at me like she had just seen a ghost. That wasn’t a good look from her; that meant she was beyond pissed off and she was going to say somthin’. Shit, I must have actually really pushed her…

  “Danessa, are you fuckin’ kidding me? This has nothing to do with me? Let me give it to you straight like I have been for the past forever. This has everything to do with me because you are my best friend and you are technically an extension of myself. It affects me because you work with me. Your whole demeanor affects how you treat our customers and you get hella snippy with me just like you are right now. Do you not see that? That man has taken over your life. You depend on him to call you and make you feel whole when you can find a man who will love you for who you are and give you that attention you so badly crave. You deserve better and I am so damn tired of tellin’ you that all the fuckin’ time. You are so beautiful and you are so fuckin’ smart, but what you’re doin’ to yo self is the most stupidest thing you could ever do to yourself. You are limiting your possibilities to a man who calls you when it is convenient for him. Don’t you feel so fuckin’ worthless to have to wait for him?”

  Mel stared at me and waited for my response, but I just didn’t give her one. Honestly, I was just tryin’ to hold back my tears and what I really wanted to say, knowin’ it would only add fuel to the fire. She was my best friend and I never realized that she felt so strongly against him. I knew she hated the nigga, but shit, she had some major points. The only thing is though, I’m stubborn and I believe so much in Tyrek, but I can’t fuckin’ tell her that.

  She got tired of sittin’ in silence and bolted out of her chair and from my office, slamming the door behind her. I watched as she walked back to the main floor and I noticed her wiping away her tears. Damn, she really did care for me, but she was just so against Tyrek! Ugh, I needed a drink or somethin’, my head was beyond killin’ me. Whatever though, my shift was damn near over and I just need to worry about that right now.

  I tossed my phone back into my bag and took a deep breath. I flipped my computer back on and checked the logs and did some financial managing. This definitely kept me busy up until it was almost time for me to go home. I would periodically look up out the window and observe Mel doin’ her job. I could tell she was bothered but the customers and the employees were not able to see what I was seeing. I could see she was agitated and hurting and it kind of bothered me, yet deep inside I couldn’t bring myself to go up to her and apologize for the shit I said and did.

  I completed the logs that I needed to touch up on and shut down the computer before I grabbed my purse. I fished inside the bag and tried to locate my phone. When I got a hold of it, I looked to see if Tyrek texted me but again, there was nothing at all. I took a deep sigh and headed out of my office. I was still pretty agitated and didn’t really wanna speak to Mel so I just brushed past her and headed out the door, not saying goodbye or anything. I hopped into my car and cranked the ignition to peel the fuck out of there really fast. I just wanted to go home and lay down. Better yet, I wanted to fuckin’ drink, yeah that sounded really good.

  I weaved my way in and out of traffic, speeding so I could get home fast. Thanks to my speedin’ and expertise of weavin’ in and out of traffic safely, I made it home just as fast as I wanted. I cut the engine and grabbed my purse before gettin' out of the car and headin’ inside the crib. I tossed my purse onto the counter and headed right into the wine cooler where I pulled out a nice bottle of Jack. I was about to grab myself a bottle of nicely aged wine, but I was feelin’ the whiskey and thought that would do the trick. I just popped the bottle of Jack open and headed into the bathroom. I started up a nice hot bath and stripped off my clothes. I ran some aromatherapy soap thing in the water so the water would be bubbly and release a fragrance for stress relief. Apparently this shit was supposed to relieve my stress and I was hopin’ that it would do just that. By the end of this bath though, I prolly won’t be able to distinguish if it was the Jack that relieved my stress and tension headache or if it was this aromatherapy nonsense. Either way, this shit did smell really relaxing so it was worth a try.

  When the water was high enough, I slipped myself into the tub and leaned up against the side where I had a little pillow for my head to lean back onto. I took a couple deep breaths before I reached over for the bottle of Jack and drank it straight out of the bottle. I surprised myself and managed to chug down half of the bottle in just that one sitting. I guess I was beyond stressed to the point where it was so damn easy to drink that much liquor. That is so damn pathetic but shit, I needed this. I placed the bottle back down onto the floor right by the tub and decided
that I had drank enough for the rest of my life. I chuckled quietly to myself with that thought in mind. I knew I wasn’t done drinkin’ for the rest of my life but with the way that I was drinkin’, I might as well have been. Oh well. I slipped back into the water and rested my head on the pillow. While laying there, I let the alcohol get the best of me and let it completely inhabit my body and my mind. This shit was so relaxing. My headache went away but my mind started to wander. I suddenly wanted my phone to see if Tyrek had texted me, but I knew better than to get up out of this pool of comfort just to see if that nigga decided to call or text me. I found myself gettin' all hyped up and upset at that thought. He really did only call me at his convenience and maybe Mel was right. Maybe I needed a new man. I don’t want one though! I want Tyrek! Ugh, why am I even going back and forth about this shit? I meant to take this hot and relaxing bath to get my mind off of this bullshit. I really thought throwin’ alcohol in the mix would help the cause too. Man, I just need to get my life together, and I need to figure out what I wanna do. Do I still hang on to the hope that he might make shit real with me or do I start exploring different avenues. Shit, I wish I knew.