Carmen

by Nako

  “Aahhhh,” he moaned loudly.

  Neezy was spent.

  He needed that nut; it was long overdue.

  His days of jacking-off ended as soon as he’d become a free man.

  “Turn around,” he commanded as he wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead. He entered her from the back, and she yipped, “Babyyyy.”

  Off the rip, he had met her target.

  Neezy could rock her right there for the rest of the night. In fact, he didn’t even have to move. She gyrated against his hips. Throwing back what her momma had blessed her with.

  Her tiger stripes were everywhere, and he kissed the exposed ones. Leaning over the counter right along with her.

  Neezy was tearing her ass up.

  They stared at each other in the oval mirror.

  She knew that he was truly the one when he mouthed to her, “I love you.”

  Carmen came on his dick instantly at his confession.

  After he wore her out, he apologized for his actions and she told him it was okay.

  With everything the way, it was right now, one good constant thing in her life was desperately needed.

  He promised to never take his problems out on her again and she believed him.

  Instead of him sharing his life verbally, he let a whole tape play of his inner-most thoughts.

  When it ended, she looked at him with tearful eyes and rode him until he fell asleep.

  Carmen wanted to hold him like a baby.

  He was a man.

  A man that was absorbing so much pain.

  She prayed for him like never before.

  He woke up to hearing her walk through his house, speaking in tongues and clapping like his granny used to do.

  He let her do her and went back to sleep.

  Now, here he was. Listening to P try to sell this NEHEMIAH VS. NEEZY bullshit.

  He sparked up a blunt, “We gotta go back to the drawing board, you don’t like my idea and I don’t like yours.”

  “What if we call it, Untitled?” one of the execs asked.

  Porter and Neezy both looked at each other and said, “Hmm….”

  Two minds together were better than one.

  But, a room full of great minds was brilliant.

  Neezy wrote it down.

  “It’s an option, I was thinking about using my inmate number. My time in prison is when I wrote most of the songs that we chose for the next EP.”

  Porter liked that idea.

  “It’ll show your growth…” he considered the concept.

  “Yeah, I grew in there. All alone.”

  He got up and wrote the number down on a whiteboard.

  “Can I say something?” he asked no one in particular. He was a naturally kind person; it was fuck niggas who brought the devil out of him.

  They all waited on him to speak.

  “This project is important to me because I’m sharing so much with the world. I never spoke on my brother’s death. It was like everyone was waiting on me to make a long ass post. Every time I went to Instagram to make one I would start back crying. I want to dedicate this to him…my fallen soldier.”

  The look on his face was solemn.

  “We gotta give this everything we got.”

  He continued, “I know y’all are professionals. I know y’all got years under y’all belt I get all of that but this here… this is the process of greatness. It’s something that none of us will ever see again.”

  Another thought came to mind and he shared it with them.

  “It’s my rebirth.”

  Porter believed every single word that he said.

  This young man words were prolific.

  When he spoke, it’s like his voice commanded you to tune in.

  And he pronounced every single syllable in his words. He spoke with clarity.

  He made you understand where he was coming from.

  It was beautiful to watch.

  “Thank you.” He left it at that and sat back down.

  P wrapped up the meeting a few minutes later and it was just the two of them left in the room.

  “I want to bring in Yara to hear your project.”

  He respected her opinion and over the years, he’d grown to honor her in a special way.

  Yara and QB made Mahogany bigger than he ever could.

  “You think so?”

  P nodded his head.

  “She hears things that most people don’t. If a drum is off or needed, she be knowing,” he bragged on her.

  Neezy was with it.

  “Let’s bring her in then.”

  Carmen was working today. Trying to get back focused despite what was happening with her brother and son.

  When he wasn’t with her, he was in the studio. His life was practical for now.

  Things would change soon.

  “What was your I made it moment?” he asked the big homie.

  Porter leaned back in the rolling chair, “Shit, what wasn’t?”

  The little things that he was finally able to do because his hard work had begun to pay off made his heart leap.

  “Car on full, lights being on…I was one grateful nigga,” he shared with him.

  “Not a house or one of them Bentley’s you got?”

  P shook his head, “Material things ain’t gon do it for you,” he spoke from experience.

  “It didn’t do it for me when I was in the streets,” he told him, knowingly.

  “Yeah see your brother made sure you were straight. You’ll be content with a good woman and a house full of kids. Hamburger helper and a good show on Netflix. That’s how you stay focused too. Don’t let the groupies tear you down before you even take off,” he schooled him.

  Neezy had a lil’ breezy that kept his hands full.

  He wasn’t interested in anyone but Carmen Kincaid.

  However, he nodded his head and told P, “Indeed.”

  “Do you like these people…that Juice assigned to your project?” Porter was curious.

  Neezy shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t really care.” He saw the look P gave him so he asked, “Should I?”

  P smiled, “Yeah.”

  It mattered a lot.

  He kept it real with him, “I feel like that’s what you for. I don’t want to come to the meetings and shit. Leave me in the booth.”

  Mahogany used to be the same way.

  “Your involvement is crucial. Trust me. In the long run, you don’t want to be known as a Guinea pig. Have your hand in every jar that has your name attached to it. Learn the business for yourself,” he would never steer him wrong.

  It was best if Neezy listened to him carefully.

  Soon, niggas would be paying for this good ass advice.

  “Word.”

  Neezy soaked it all up like a sponge.

  “You mentored Juice, right?”

  P nodded his head, “Taught him everything he know. He’s a billionaire. My wife is too…”

  He was proud of the both of them.

  “…Think I can be one too?”

  His goals weren’t that big for himself but damn if it wasn’t time to level up.

  Porter tapped on the table before speaking, “I think that if you buckle down and do the work and listen, you’ll see nine figures this time next year.”

  “I’ll put ten million on that, easy.”

  He placed a bet.

  Neezy reached over the table and extended his hand to him, “Let’s make it happen then, captain.”

  η

  She didn’t expect to see her brother and his boyfriend laying up in the middle of the day.

  “How did you get in here?” his brother panted as he hopped up out of the platform bed and spazzed on his sister who had a stunned look on her face.

  “You must don’t have a job either?” she asked the nigga. Ignoring her brother’s question.

  Genesis smacked his lips, “He’s a radiologist, smart ass.”

  His sister was so judgmental, and it annoyed h
im to an extreme.

  “Genesis, I need to talk to you.”

  She added, “…With clothes on.”

  Mahogany poured a glass of orange juice and added a dash of champagne. She couldn’t have too much to drink because she had a busy day today and for some reason, after having her children she got drunk so fast these days.

  “He’s cute…do you have a type?” she questioned once Genesis met her in his living room. Fully dressed.

  He grabbed a cigarette from the pack on his coffee table and told her, “Let’s go on the balcony,” he preferred this conversation in private but knowing that his sister was a stubborn mule and most likely wouldn’t come back any time soon. He decided to get it over with.

  While waiting on him to get dressed, she took in his place and boy, it was nice. The condo was sharp. She probed, “Who designed your house?”

  The gold and emerald accents paired with the leather furniture and shiny grey hardwood floors. It was…laid.

  “Me. Why?”

  She sighed, “I know I’m busy, but did I miss the signs?” she had to ask.

  He lit the cigarette and shook his head, “No.”

  Genesis hid this part of his life for years.

  She would’ve never known.

  “Are you sure?” she cared about her brother and wanted to know if there was something she could’ve done differently.

  He told her, “Yeah…”

  “Were you molested? Did…Ra—"

  She couldn’t even say her ex’s name, “Did he mess with you?”

  Genesis snarled, “Dawg, I’m gay but I ain’t no pussy ass nigga. Ain’t nobody messed with me.” He would kill a nigga with the quickness.

  That was one of the biggest misconceptions and the one that bothered him the most.

  Everyone that was gay wasn’t molested.

  Some people had a preference.

  He had a preference.

  He liked men.

  She finally could exhale.

  “Whew, oaky.”

  She wanted to ask about any of their mother’s boyfriends but decided to let it go.

  “I’m at peace, that’s all that matters. Okay sis?” he didn’t really want to have a long drawn out, dramatic ass conversation.

  It wasn’t his thing and it damn sure wasn’t hers.

  She hugged him, tightly. Genesis dropped his newly lit cig and hugged her back.

  “I APOLOGIZE!” she was sincere, truly she was.

  “All goodie.”

  He was relieved that the cat was out of the bag. He could live his life and not have to worry about someone seeing him out and about.

  Mahogany told him, “I don’t have to be to the airport for another hour or so, how about you bring that fine ass man out here and let me get to know him and he need to sign an NDA if he gon’ be coming around…” she wasn’t playing either.

  This was new for her, but she was going to be as open as she could.

  It would take a little second for her to explain to the kids why Uncle Genesis now has a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend.

  In fact, she may leave that up to P to handle.

  Her kids asked way too many questions.

  She texted her husband the thumbs up. He would know what she meant.

  Mahogany joined Genesis and his boyfriend, Ricardo in the living room.

  He was a Dominican-bred guy from Mt. Vernon, a suburban area in New York. She predicted that he came from money or maybe his career came with proper training.

  He shared with her that they were in love and were both focused on their jobs right now which made her laugh because Genesis did a horrible job as her manager.

  “Too funny,” she muttered as she took another sip of the momosa. She called them mom-osas because she claimed that she could still drive safely after she had one. It was a personal insider between her and her mom-friends.

  “Are y’all going to have kids?”

  Genesis was an amazing uncle.

  He looked at his boyfriend and shook his head, “Uh, I don’t know.”

  It wasn’t on his agenda.

  Ricardo seemed surprised by his answer.

  “It’s a possibility, a big one,” he corrected him.

  She could now see who was in charge and this was a hilarious moment.

  “Ooh…do y’all watch POSE?”

  Genesis was through with her today.

  He hopped up and prepared to walk her straight to the door.

  “Okay, let me walk you out. Thanks for stopping by.”

  She checked the time on her Rolex, “What? I still have some time to kill…” she wasn’t ready to leave.

  They were just getting started.

  Genesis told his boyfriend, “Tell my sister bye.”

  She huffed and waved at Ricardo.

  “Nice meeting you.”

  Genesis closed the door behind him so he could talk to her without his nosey ass boyfriend listening.

  “You’re a hot mess.”

  She rolled her eyes, “Boy, I ain’t stunting you. POSE is my favorite show,” she let him know.

  “Yeah, I told you that’s not what I’m on all the time. We were tripping out that night.”

  More details were needed but she’ll leave it alone for now.

  “When are you coming back to work?” she didn’t really need him but wanted him around.

  He was her family.

  Her little big brother.

  Every award she accepted; he went on stage with her if P wasn’t present.

  “Another week or so. I needed a break.”

  She understood that, “Well, okay your PTO end tomorrow so yeah…see you soon.”

  Her books were on point and her payroll accountant didn’t give a damn if he was blood or not.

  “Toodles,” she blew him a kiss as she backpedaled from his front door and stepped onto the elevator that her security had waiting for her.

  When the doors closed, she thought to herself, “Damn, I got a gay brother.”

  η

  Moses Montez Parks suffered a heart attack.

  Teka came to the hospital as soon as she got the call.

  Once the doctors told her that he was going to be okay, she removed her wedding ring and band and sat it on the nightstand.

  She called his momma and left.

  Whenever he was discharged and made it home, he would be coming to an empty place because she and her kids were out of there.

  Teka was not about to sit around and watch him wither away all because he didn’t want to stop eating.

  Moses was extremely overweight; he was considered obese.

  Not only did he have high blood pressure and his cholesterol was always through the roof, but he was border line diabetes and he didn’t take his health serious.

  She had to mix his medicine into his water and even the water had to be filled with fruit for him to indulge.

  The “waa-waa” baby mentality that he’d adopted once they married and she began to view his health as critical , things changed. She was beyond frustrated at this point. She didn’t have the energy to sit around and make him do the right thing.

  Teka was tired.

  There were plenty of nights where she would stay up and read while he slept because she was scared that he could stop breathing in his sleep.

  It was bad enough that he had to have almost nine pillows propping him up, but he snored and coughed in his sleep and it scared the living shit out of her half the night.

  His eating habits were out of control and he’d gained so much weight over the years.

  She still loved him. He’d saved her from herself. She could never not care about him but until things changed…she was walking away.

  She hopped on a plane and headed straight to Atlanta.

  Giselle greeted her best friend with open arms as always.

  Kasim hugged her and told her, “He’s going to get it together.”

  Teka wasn’t sure but she nodded her head anyways.

 
After she got the kids settled, she found G in the living room, sipping wine and kickin it’.

  She went to pour her a glass until Giselle told her, “You’re a guest, sit down. I got it. You want some lasagna? It has chicken, spinach and tomatoes in it.”

  “Wait, are you still vegan?” she couldn’t keep up with Teka’s dietary plan. It changed often.

  “No, I’m not and no thank you, I don’t have an appetite. I just want the wine...and some weed.”

  Giselle laughed but Teka didn’t find anything funny.

  Moses had been calling her non-stop since he woke up and saw his wife’s wedding ring staring right at him.

  His mom swore that she was staying out of it, yet, she’d told the whole family.

  “I want you to take a few bites, that’s all. Especially if we about to knock back this bottle,” she ambled towards the kitchen and made her a small plate.

  Teka took a deep breath as her phone rang again and again and again.

  Kasim hollered down the steps, “Baby, tell Teka, Mo is calling me.”

  He didn’t want to be in the middle of their spat.

  She rolled her eyes.

  Giselle returned with the food and another glass. She poured her some wine and Teka gulped it down.

  “At least let him know y’all are okay. You know he’ll pop up,” she warned her.

  Tears flooded Teka’s eyes.

  “G, he can barely walk up and down the steps how the hell he gon’ get on a plane?” she cried.

  Giselle knew that Teka was overexaggerating. Moses wasn’t that big…yet.

  “I refuse to watch him die. I’m not going back.”

  “That’s only going to hurt him, he needs you.”

  She didn’t want to hear that.

  “I need him. I need a healthy husband.”

  Giselle decided to be quiet. She moved closer to her and rubbed her back.

  What Teka needed right now was a friend. A support system and a listening ear.

  The next morning, she knew her mind had to be playing tricks on her when she heard Moses voice outside of the room that she’d deemed hers whenever she was at the Moreland’s.

  Moses had come for her.

  He tapped on the door and then walked in.

  Two days without her and she swore he’d slimmed down already.

  “Baby.”

  He was hurt and taken back by her actions.

  Things got tough and she dipped, she’d broken his heart by leaving with his children.