“Yeah you did but…”
“Kish c’mon, don’t do this.” He pleaded his eyes were looking directly into mine and I could hear the sincerity in his voice. Still my mind was made up. “We can do this.”
“That’s just it, I’m not sure if I still want there to be a ‘we’.” I blurted. “I’m starting to think that us becoming a couple was a mistake.”
He leaned back in his chair and looked at me with a shocked expression. “Really? And how long have you been thinking this?”
“A few weeks.” I answered quietly. I felt bad saying these things to him but they were true and needed to be sad.
“Wow so you lay up with me for all of these months like shit is all good. Then when you think that you might be pregnant. You want to abort my seed and dip!” He raised his voice. “So what are your plans to abort my baby and go running back to Tre? Thats why he was trippin’ the other night? Huh?”
“What? No…no…he reacted like that because he saw you smack that cup in my face. Tre has always been protective of me. It’s nothing going on between us.”
“Get the fuck out of here with that bullshit that you are spitting! He has hit you before! I didn’t even hit you. I hit the cup!”
The door opened and Dr. Sheppard walked in. I was so glad to see him that I could’ve jumped up off the table and kissed him. Not because of the information that he was about to deliver but because he’d interrupted the conversation between Skeet and I.
“Good afternoon, to both of you.” The middle aged man with red hair and a face full of freckles greeted us.
“Good afternoon.” I replied but Skeet didn’t say anything. He sat in his seat quietly mean mugging me. I turned my attention to Dr. Sheppard to keep from looking in his direction.
“I have the results of your pregnancy test.” Dr. Sheppard informed me as he glanced through some papers that were on the clipboard that he was carrying. “You are pregnant. Congratulations and judging by the date of your last period that you have written down here. You should be somewhere around eight weeks.”
“That’s not too late to get an abortion is it?” I asked. I didn’t want to hear anything else that he had to say. I just wanted to know if I could still terminate the pregnancy and how soon I could do it.
“No ma’am it’s not too late at all but…”
“You have got to be motherfuckin’ kidding me!” Skeet exploded. He jumped up and threw the chair that he’d been sitting in, across the room. Dr. Sheppard quickly ducked back out of the way. His face covered with fear and turning a shade of bright red. He looked like he was about to piss his pants.
Skeet stomped towards the door, snatched it opened, and left the room. I slid down off of the examination table and began getting dressed.
“Dr. Sheppard, I apologize for his behavior. He isn’t too happy about me not wanting to keep the baby.” I explained pulling my shirt over my head.
“I understand.” He replied nervously watching the door like he was afraid that Skeet was going to reappear. A blonde haired nurse appeared in the doorway and he nearly jumped out of his skin. His hand went up over his chest. “Oh goodness, you scared me.”
“I’m sorry.” She apologized. “I came to see if everything was okay. I saw the gentleman that was in here leaving and he looked really upset.”
“Yes everything is fine.” I answered for him. I grabbed my pocketbook and threw it on my shoulder. “Again I apologize, Dr. Sheppard” I told him before exiting the room. As I walked out of the doctor’s office I wasn’t sure if Skeet had left me or not because we’d rode together. I silently cursed myself for not driving my own car.
When I walked out into the parking lot. I saw that the car was still parked in the same spot and Skeet was leaning against it smoking a cigarette. I walked slowly over to the car and opened the door. I got inside and sat down. A few minutes passed before he got in. He started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot without saying a word. On the drive home I stared out the window, not looking at anything in particular. My mind was in overdrive. I’d decided that I was going to pack my things and go back to my mama’s once we got home. I’d stay there until I could find a job and save to get my own spot. It was time to do something different. I was tired of the way that things were. I barely recognized the woman that I’d become. The whole ordeal with Tre, Lala, and Tamika had taken a toll on me and had nearly destroyed me but I was ready now to get my shit together. Even Tre had changed. I could see a lot of change in him, not enough to make me take his ass back but I did see it. The sound of my cell phone ringing tore me away from my thoughts. I reached down and got it out of my pocketbook. I looked at the screen and saw Tre’s name flashing across it. I thought about not answering it but then I remembered that he’d told me that he was coming to pick up the boys and would call me when he was on his way. I needed to let him know that they were with my mama.
“Hello.” I answered.
“Yeah, what’s up?” He spoke. “I was calling to let you know that I am on my way. I don’t want no shit out of your man so can you have them ready when I get there. I will blow the horn so that you can bring them out to me. I’m not coming in his house.”
“I don’t have the boys with me. They are at my mama’s…” Out of nowhere I felt pain in the left side of my face and the phone went flying across the floor! Before I could figure out what had happened, I felt it again. This time I also felt pain in my nose.
“You didn’t abort that bitch ass niggas’ kids did you!” Skeet roared. “Huh bitch?” Blood pour from my nose, I reached up and touched it and blood covered my hand. He hit me again! This time something inside of me snapped and I swung back. I didn’t swing one time and stop either. I kept swinging.
Without warning there was a loud crash, I heard glass shattering and felt my body being ejected from the car.
Tre
“Hello…Hello…Kisha…Kisha!” I called into the phone but got no response. I’d heard her and Skeet arguing, then there was a loud noise and now there was nothing. I took the phone away from my ear and saw the picture of the kids that I had as my screensaver on the screen. I redialed Kisha’s number and waited for it to ring but instead of it ringing. The call went straight to voicemail. I tried to call again and the same thing happened.
I was on my way back to into Boykins, I’d went to pay some bills after work and had been planning to pick up Shaun and Quan on my way home. I tried Kisha’s number several times on my way but kept getting her voicemail. For some reason, I had a bad feeling about how our call had ended. I was hoping that Skeet hadn’t been dumb enough to do anything to her. I couldn’t get over how bold he’d been a few nights ago at Ms. Lizzie’s house when he’d smacked the cup in her face. I didn’t want to end up catching a case for killing his ass but if he’d put his hands on her again I was going to fuck him up.
My phone rang and I hurriedly picked it up. I didn’t even look at the screen to see who was calling. I just answered it. “Yo…”
“Hey, were you busy?” It was Lala.
“Nah, not really.” I replied wishing that she’d been Kisha. I was really worried about her. “I’m on my way over to Kisha’s to pick up the boys. What’s up?”
“Nothing much. I was calling to tell you about your little fast baby. Ms. Lola tried to take a step today.” She announced proudly. “Tre, I can’t believe they are ten months already. It seems like just yesterday they were being born. Can you believe that they will be a year old in two more months? Not even two months. More like a month and three weeks.”
“Nah…I can’t.” I was distracted with my thoughts of Kisha.
“Were you going to come up here to celebrate their birthday or did you want me to come down there?”
“It doesn’t really matter. Either way is fine with me.”
“Maybe we should come down there. That way our parents won’t have to travel up here because I am sure they want to celebrate the girl’s birthday with us. I think us coming down there would
make it a lot easier.”
“Yeah probably.”
She was quiet for a few seconds, then she said. “Reggie will more than likely be coming down there with us.”
She’d started dealing with Reggie about a month after she’d left and she seemed to be happy. I was happy for her. She deserved to be happy. She’d told me that he was really good with the girls also. I didn’t really like another man being around them too much but there was nothing that I could say. It was a little different with the girls than it was the boys because the boys were old enough to know that Skeet wasn’t there daddy. The girls weren’t and I didn’t want them looking at Reggie like he was there daddy. That bothered me a lot. I really wished that Lala would move back to Boykins so that they would be closer. I’d even asked her but she’d told me that she didn’t want to stay in the same town as me and have to see me with Mina. That didn’t make any sense to me since she was with Reggie now. Who I was with shouldn’t matter.
“That’s fine.” Two ambulances sped past me flying with the lights flashing and siren wailing.
“Tre, is everything alright?” Lala asked. “You sound like something is wrong.”
“Nah, nothing’s wrong. I’m good. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Oh, well I’m sorry to bother you. I just wanted to tell you about Lola and talk to you about their birthday but we can talk about that another time.”
“Okay, I’ll call you back later.” I told her. I didn’t mean to be short with her or seem uninterested in what she was saying but Kisha was on my mind heavy and until I saw that she was okay I wasn’t going to be right. I somehow felt like it was my job to make sure that Kisha and Lala were always okay. Regardless of who they were with. They were the mothers of my children. I was still trying my best to make up for all of the wrong that I’d done to them both. “Kiss my princesses for me and tell them that daddy loves them.”
“Okay. Are you sure that you are alright?” She pressed.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” I assured her. I found it to be cute how she worried over me. “I’ll call you when I make it home.” I pressed end and ended the call.
No sooner than I hung up my phone rang again. This time I did check to see who it was. It was Mina. She’d finally gotten her attitude in check and was back to her normal self but I still wasn’t feeling her ass too much. I’d told her from the beginning that I didn’t have room for the drama and bullshit in my life. The way that she’d acted at Ms. Lizzie’s had been totally uncalled for. I wasn’t about to sit around and waste my time or energy on someone who wanted to act like a child and throw tantrums. I wasn’t for doing a whole lot of arguing anymore either. So she could get it together or get the fuck on! Plain and simple. I already had four children and I didn’t need a grown ass fifth one.
I pressed send to answer. “Hello.” I spoke dryly.
“Damn, you sure sound happy to hear from me.” She sounded offended.
“Yeah…I am.” I replied my voice dripping with sarcasm. “What do you want?”
“I was calling to see if you were coming over to my house tonight?”
“Nah, I’m about to go and pick up the boys and then we are going back to my crib.”
“Oh, well they can come over to my house with you.”
“Nah, we might come by tomorrow but not tonight.’
“Cool.”
“Alright.”
I was about to end the call but before I could she asked. “Are we good?”
“I’m good.” I replied.
“That’s not what I asked you.”
I let out a frustrated breath, I really didn’t feel like discussing this situation at the moment. “Listen it’s like this, I am still a little pissed by how you acted the other night at Ms. Lizzie’s. You made a big deal out of nothing. Anyone could see that I wasn’t trying to disrespect you. It was like I was trying to get with Kisha. I would’ve done the same thing if it had been you that a nigga disrespected…”
“Yes and that would’ve made sense because you and I are together. You and Kisha aren’t.”
I rolled my eyes at here ignorance and insecurity. Mello had really fucked her up. “Bottom line Mina, I care about you a lot and I am trying hard to get you to see that I am not the same Tre that everybody knows as the player that goes around fucking different women and playing games. I don’t have time for that shit anymore. I know what I want but that doesn’t mean that if Kisha or Lala needs me I am not going to be there for them because you and I are together. Nah, it ain’t going down like that.”
“I hear you.”
“I hope so because I mean what I am saying and I am not going to change it.”
“Alright.” She sounded like she had an attitude but I didn’t care at all.
“I’ll hit you back later.” I told her and ended the call before she had a chance to say anything else.
I looked up ahead of me and saw what looked to be an accident. The road was blocked off and police were everywhere. I drove up as close as I could and parked behind the long line of cars that were up ahead of me. There were several people standing outside of their cars. I left my car running and got out to ask someone if they knew what was going on. I walked up to an older gentleman that was standing next to his car smoking a cigarette.
“Excuse me sir.” I said as I walked up to him. “Do you know what’s going on up there?”
“Well from what one of the officer’s told me, a car and truck hit head on. A woman was thrown out but the man is still trapped in the car. That’s what is taking them so long. They are working on getting him out. They’ve already taken the woman away. The man that was driving the truck has been taking away too.” I shook my head and prayed silently that it was no one that I knew. I’d had enough bad luck. “It was probably some young folks on their cell phones not paying attention.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“I’ll tell you…” he went on. “They need to ban these cell phones. Just take them completely off the market because they’re doing more harm than good. Every time that you turn around someone is having an accident due to the fact that they were on the phone and not paying attention to the road” He spoke like he knew for a fact that had been the reason for the crash.
“Alright then, thanks for the information.” I walked back to my car and got inside. I took my phone out of my pocket and tried Kisha’s number again. Again my call went straight to voicemail. I laid my phone down on the seat, turned off the ignition and rested my head back against the headrest. I figured that I might as well get comfortable because I knew that it was going to be a while before traffic started to move again.
Thirty minutes had past and I was still sitting in traffic. My cell started to ring again. I picked it up and looked at the screen. I saw Ms. Betty’s name flashing. I immediately knew that it had something to do with Kisha. I pressed send.
“Hello.”
“You need to meet me up at the hospital. Kisha was in an accident. I don’t know how bad she’s hurt yet but…” Before she could finish her sentence. I was turning my car around and heading back in the other direction.
Lala
It was early Saturday morning and I was up cleaning because Reggie was on his way in town to spend the weekend. While I cleaned, I talked to Tre on the phone. Kisha had been in an accident earlier in the week and he was up at the hospital with her. From what he’d told me the accident had been bad and her and Skeet had been lucky to make it out alive. Kisha made it out with only a broken leg, two fractured ribs and she’d had bleeding on the brain. She’d also suffered a miscarriage. Skeet had two broken legs, a broken collar bone and he’d hurt his back. They both were lucky. Especially Kisha because when she’d been thrown from the car she landed in the ditch instead of on the road.
“I’m glad Kisha is doing well.” I told Tre and I honestly meant it. Even though the two of us didn’t get along, I still didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.
“Yeah me too.” I knew that her being in the
accident had scared him really bad. That had been evident the night that it happened and I talked to him. He was a nervous wreck. I totally understood because that was how I’d felt when he’d gotten shot. The possibility of losing someone you love is some scary shit. “So what are you up to?”
“Cleaning up.”
“What are my babies doing?”
“Crawling around pulling everything off of my coffee table about to make me beat them.” I glanced over at them and Laila had the remote in her mouth. I ran over and took it from her. “Little girl, I am going to whoop you if you keep on putting everything in your mouth.” She started screaming like I’d pinched her.
“Lala, what are you over there doing to her?” Tre wanted to know.
“I took the remote because she was putting it in her mouth.”
“Don’t be making her cry. Pick her up and tell her you’re sorry.”
I rolled my eyes. He must had lost his mind. “Yeah…okay…I’m doing it now.” I replied sarcastically.
“I know that you ain’t doing it.” He laughed. “You and I are going to fight when I see you if you keep on being mean to my babies and making them cry.”
“Boy please, ain’t nobody thinking about you.”
“You better be.”
“Whatever.” My phone beeped and I took it from my ear to see who was calling. It was Nisey. “Tre, let me call you back a little bit later. Nisey is beeping in.”
“So…call Nisey back later.” He teased.
“Bye Tre.”
“Lala…”
“What boy?” I snapped jokingly. We’d been getting along pretty good and I was glad that were able to get back on track after what had gone down before I’d left.
“Boy?”
“Yep, that’s what I called you! Now bye! I have to call Nisey back because she’s hung up.”
“Alright, holla at me later.”
“Okay.” I hung up with him and called Nisey. She answered on the third ring.
Side Chic 3 (The Ratchetness Continues) Page 13