by Ashley Cruse
“Koa, my grandma and all of them are over here. Can I have him hit you back as soon as they leave?”
“Yeah, that’s cool.”
“Thanks, Mama.” I hung up my brother’s phone. I put it back where I had got it, making sure to be quiet and not to wake anybody up.
I then headed over to the foyer window to take a quick look at my front yard. The rental was in the driveway, Blue’s Cadillac was behind it, and Jorge’s Lincoln was parked in the yard. I walked into the kitchen. Pizza boxes were sprawled all over the kitchen counters and the table, and they were blocking the path to the back door and the garage door. Dirty dishes were piled up in the sink, and the trash can was overflowing with empty cigarette boxes, Keystone Light cans, Miller Lite bottles, and Bud Ice forty-ounce bottles.
I wished silently to myself that Corey could get somebody to clean this up. I didn’t want any parts of having to make this house look like a train had not run through it. I decided to go on ahead and straighten up the kitchen. I was going to have to restore order in the kids’ bathroom as well.
I was winding up my task in the bathroom when I took a peek into my bedroom to steal a look at my man. He was still in a deep slumber. After I finished cleaning the kids’ bathroom, I turned to the task of making myself presentable. I jumped in the shower and shampooed my hair. I was determined to look super fly today. Seeing that Corey was still trying to contact that bitch, despite the fact that he was with me, bothered me. After she showed her ass, he had tried to contact her. I opted against discussing the whole matter with him. I was going to step my game up and show him just why I was the best choice for him. We belonged together.
Today was going to be special due to the fact this was the first time I was going to meet his people. It was required that I look and dress my best. I put some mousse in my hands and ran them through my ringlets. Then I put on a pink tank top and some blue jean shorts. I also put on my new pink Air Force Ones, which Corey had gotten for me yesterday for the get-together we had last night.
I glanced at the clock. It was already noon, and I knew it was going to be a minute before Corey got up. When I walked back up front, I noticed that Blue and Jorge had left while I was showering. My brother, Drew, was up and was arguing with his bitch over the phone. I sat beside him on the couch and pretended like I was watching the TV. He continued to argue with his girl. When he was done, he asked me to take him home. I grabbed the keys, and we got into the car. As I turned out of the neighborhood, Drew and I began to talk.
“What’s up with you and Koa?” I asked him casually, trying not to sound too nosy.
Drew shrugged his shoulders and stared ahead for a minute before he replied. “I don’t think I will be dealing with her for too much longer. She taking a nigga for granted, for real. Can’t take this bullshit anymore.”
“How’s that?”
“What you mean, how’s that?” Drew replied, sounding a bit irritated.
“How is she taking you for granted, little brother?” I turned the radio off, giving him my undivided attention.
My brother normally kept shit to himself. When something was bothering him, he usually would come to me for advice. I didn’t know why exactly, but it was probably because he felt more comfortable discussing his deep personal business with me over everybody else. He wanted to get some things off his chest now. I could tell. I wanted to make sure he did what was best for him. More importantly, I want my brother to realize that I would be here eternally for him, no matter what. Even if he basically wanted me just to listen to him, I was all ears.
“’Cause, man, she doesn’t appreciate shit. It be the little shit she does that pisses me the hell off. She be accusing me of cheating and shit, but the truth is, I think that ho is fuckin’ around on me. Now her conscience is troubling her. She chased me around the house with a damn hammer the other night.”
The frustration in my brother’s voice tugged at my heart a little. I didn’t like hearing that he was so unhappy. The fact that she was trying to harm him made me angry. He should have told Justine and me when it first happened. We didn’t play when it came to him. Period.
“So, what are you going to do about it, Drew?”
“I’m gonna leave. Real soon, because I can’t deal with that shit. Plus, she really starts to act stupid when y’all sell her them damn pills. Y’all need to stop that shit, at least until I can get the hell out of there.”
“Damn, bro. I had no idea that those pills resulted in her wanting to get to trippin’ like that. I will let Corey know.”
“That nigga already knows! He witnessed it plenty of times. Stop selling her that shit!” he demanded.
I tried to digest that declaration for a little bit. Then I spoke up again. “If you’re not happy, bro, just leave. I would hate for anything horrible to happen to you.”
“Listen, sis, I got this. Plus, I got my eye on somebody else.”
That caught my ears. “Who?” I quizzed him.
“Don’t worry about that. Just know that I’m going to end things first with Koa before I get at this chick. She’s a lady, and I got to come to her correct.” He looked out the window from the passenger side. “Do not sell my girl any more pills until I leave her ass! Make sure you tell Corey too.”
“Will do.”
We rode for a little bit in complete silence. I was waiting for him to finish talking before I turned on the radio. I had a feeling he was not done talking yet.
“Say, sis,” he began again. “We’ve known Corey for a minute now. I know you like him and all, but you need to watch that man.”
“Oh, Drew,” I sighed.
His request made me stop wondering about this mystery girl, and at the same time, I brushed off his warning. Drew had never stopped trying to shield me and Justine. We were his big sisters, and yet he defended us like a pit bull. I began to giggle to myself.
“Don’t trip, little brother. I like Corey. He’s so much different than Bobbie.”
Drew shook his head. “I hope you know what you are doing. When you got with him, he had a girl. What makes you think he won’t do it to you too?”
Good question, I thought to myself. “He is too good to me, that’s why.”
“Don’t be stupid about this, Ten. Really look at the situation you got yourself into before you get even more deeply involved. I’m a nigga. If I’m speaking to you about it, it’s because I know what’s up. I can see the play. I just don’t want you and your kids to get caught up in a web that can easily be avoided.”
“That’s your homeboy, though.”
“Exactly.”
I agreed to think about it even more before I got too serious with him. Again, I knew my brother meant well. But I was a big girl; I could hold my own. In addition, it was too late. My heart was already heavily invested in this man.
I dropped Drew off at his apartment. I stayed outside for a little bit to make sure everything was good before I drove off. I headed to the convenience store. I bought some candy and sodas to take to my kids. I put gas in my car. Then I drove by Majesta’s. I sat over there for a bit, filling her in on everything that happened last night. I communicated with my children for a minute by phone before I traveled back to my house.
When I entered the house, I heard the shower running. Corey was awake. I sat on the couch and waited patiently for him to finish bathing. When he was finally done getting ready, he entered the living room and joined me on the couch.
“Damn!” he exclaimed. “This house is a mess. You didn’t get this mess cleaned up before you left?” he joked. He narrowed his eyes at everything as he took a look around. Then he came over and kissed my lips. I put my hands on my hips once we broke the embrace.
“Boy, you should have seen the damn kitchen and bathroom,” I said, defending myself. I filled him in on Koa and Drew while he continued to scrutinize the mess around us.
“Damn. That’s crazy. He needs to leave that bitch!” he said, sounding a bit distracted.
“Do
n’t sell her no more pills, either,” I challenged.
“I won’t,” he agreed, shaking his head.
I was able to get a good look at him. He looked nicely put together. He was decked out in a pair of True Religion jeans, a flannel shirt, and the white Jordans he got yesterday. He had topped off his outfit with a black-and-white New York hat. He had cleaned his face up nicely, shaving off the beard he had started to grow. I loved his clean-cut look. He must have liked my outfit too. His smiling eyes gave it away as he checked me out.
“We’ll get somebody to tidy up this mess,” he suggested, getting up off the couch. The keys were lying on the coffee table. He snatched them up. He grabbed both of my hands, then pulled me up off the couch.
“Let’s go meet my family for lunch,” he said.
Chapter 28
Over the next couple of weeks, I began to form a relationship with Corey’s little sister. Tiger didn’t seem to be that fond of me, although he was very polite. I was determined to change his opinion about me, though. I was going to be Tiger’s favorite sister-in-law. I enjoyed being around Corey’s family. For me to be accepted by them meant everything to me. Since Corey’s mom didn’t get a chance to visit us, we decided to go up there at some point with the kids so that I could meet her.
Corey and I had already turned in our rental car. We had found another smoker who agreed to loan out his car, so we hopped on that chance before anybody else did. This guy had a black Expedition and did not trip as long as we kept his ass geeked up. Corey had given him enough dope to last him until Tuesday, when he had to go to work. This setup was acceptable to us. It meant that we could take that trip out of town as planned.
That Friday, after Hanson and Marie got out of school, we picked up Ty and Karen from my mom’s house. Then we got on the freeway and left Abilene. We cruised down I-20 East toward Dallas–Fort Worth. Corey had told me a little about his parents, and of course, I had already met his dad and his grandma.
A couple of hours later, we pulled in front of Corey’s mom’s house. Naomi and her little girl were already there.
“Corey!” Naomi screamed dramatically. She ran toward the SUV. When he opened the car door, she was there waiting for her big brother to give her a hug.
A shorter while later, a petite, tall white lady with red hair came out of the house, with a huge smile plastered across her face. Corey strolled over to her and gave her a hug, then kissed her cheek lightly. He had a big grin on his face that was identical to hers.
“Glad you haven’t vanished back to jail yet,” she kidded him.
I stood back, watching the scene unfold before me. Corey and his mom chatted for a few minutes. He seized his mom’s hand and walked her over to us.
“Mom, I want you to meet my girl, Tenosha. These are her kids, Hanson, Marie, Tyrese, and Karen.”
“How old are you?” she asked, laughing as she hugged and kissed my kids.
I was slightly taken aback by her questioning my age, though I knew I looked younger than I was, but then a wave of excitement swept through my body. I greeted his mom, laughing off her remark. We walked into the house, and the kids immediately took to Nestle. I held on to Karen, who was just beginning to walk well, and all the other kids ran out to the backyard to play.
Corey went into the kitchen to catch up with his mom. She was preparing supper. Naomi helped me unload the Expedition. We carried our bags to the bedrooms Corey’s mom was having us stay in while we were here.
“I am so glad you are with my brother,” Naomi stated. She helped me put our belongings away.
“Me too,” I said. “You have no idea. My baby daddy wasn’t all that great to me.”
She immediately became concerned. I gave her a short version of my estranged relationship with my kids’ father. By the time I was done, she was hugging me so hard, a bitch couldn’t even breathe.
“Corey treats me like a queen.” I beamed.
“He better!” She laughed. “I’ll beat his ass.”
Naomi and I sat on the bed. We snickered like two old-time girlfriends. We talked briefly about their childhood.
“So, you’ve been knowing my brother?” she asked.
I nodded my head.
“Why are ya’ll just now getting together?” she quizzed.
“I wrote him while he was locked up here and there. But he really got at me once he got out the pen.”
I gave her the lowdown on everything that was going on. Even told her about how his ex had confronted us at the Pub. I left out the part where Corey tried to call her the very next day. I needed his sister to be Team Tenosha. Not Team Dollie. Fuck that bitch with a sick dick.
“I can’t stand Dollie. I wanted to whup her ass,” Naomi confessed. “She’d never tell us whenever they would move Corey. And she was too hard to get in touch with. I remember so many times I wanted to go see my brother and never could because of her ass.” She shook her head in revulsion. “My brother doesn’t need somebody like that bitch.”
I agreed with her. I decided to go ahead and tell her about the last time Dollie called Corey’s phone. Well, I didn’t tell her the whole story. Just the things my A1 Majesta said to her. We both rolled around on the bed, laughing hysterically until our sides hurt.
“If you ever beat her ass, call me! That’s worth the trip to Abilene,” Naomi said once she caught her breath.
We decided to go see if dinner was ready yet. Naomi also wanted to check on the kids. We headed down the stairs. We looked out the back door to make sure the kids were playing nicely. Then we helped Ms. Brenda finish making dinner in the kitchen.
Soon the food was ready. We got the children, cleaned them up, and sat them at the table to get their grub on. Once everybody had eaten the delicious meal, Ms. Brenda helped me get the kids settled in bed.
Naomi and Nestle said their good-byes soon after that. We sat in the living room, talking, until his mom retired up to her room. She was exhausted from everything. I was beginning to feel like I needed to lie down too. Corey turned and faced me.
“You really down for a nigga, ain’t you?”
I looked up at him and nodded my head. I cuddled up beside him on the couch. He put his arm around me.
“You’re the type of girl I’d want to spend the rest of my life with.” He gently lifted up my chin and said to me, “Will you marry me?”
My heart skipped a thousand beats. I couldn’t even begin to put into words the excitement that overcame me. The joy. The happiness. The one thing I wanted my children’s father to see in me, Corey was able to. This man loved me and showed me every chance he could get. Now he was asking for my hand in marriage. I sat straight up and said yes to him. He kissed me softly.
“I can’t wait for you to be my wife. You’re so perfect for me.”
We spent the rest of that weekend at his mom’s house. We relaxed some. We even went to Fort Worth to do a little shopping for clothes and shoes. We took his mom out for lunch. Afterward, Corey left to meet up with Tiger and his family for a little bit. I remained behind with his mom and sister.
Quickly enough, our time to return home arrived. Once we were on the road, headed back to Abilene, a call came on my cell phone. It was Bruce. I answered.
“Say, where y’all at?” he asked me.
The way he sounded kind of scared me. I’d never heard my bro talk with such urgency.
“We’re on our way back from Bedford. Why? What’s up?” I said. Corey was driving, and I was in the passenger seat.
“Man, did you guys have any drugs or money at your house?” he asked.
I asked Corey, and he took the phone from me. They both talked for a while. I could tell by the way Corey was acting and by the way he sped up some that shit was not okay.
“Naw, I left the dope I had left and the pills with Drew,” I heard Corey tell him. “Why? You out or something?”
“’Cause, man . . .”
I could hear what Bruce was saying to Corey as clear as day by the way he was yelling
through the phone.
Bruce went on. “The landlord was there at the house, fixing the garage door for Ten. Task force ran through the house right when the landlord was getting ready to burn off. Ten has an eviction notice, and y’all got to be out by midnight tomorrow.”
Chapter 29
Dollie
It had been a few weeks since I heard the truth about what Corey was really up to. I was beginning to get over that drama he had involved me in, and I had started mending my broken heart in the process. I started putting in some extra time at work and even began helping my uncle Justin at the bakery a couple of times a week. My new haircut was a brilliant idea. With the red highlights my beautician had given me to go along with the bob cut, not only was I beginning to feel like a new woman, but I even looked the part as well.
Everybody loved my new style. Plus, my aunt Audrina had hooked me up with the same Realtor who had helped her and my uncle find their house. We had started to meet a couple of times a week so we could explore houses that matched the criteria I had outlined. I still hadn’t come across one that I really felt comfortable in. I hadn’t discovered any that I immediately liked or felt safe in, either.
On top of that, my boss was offering to help put me through school so I could become a paralegal. While things could be better on the inside, everything appeared to be going well on the outside.
I had arrived at work thirty minutes early today. I needed to count the safe down and make the deposit at the bank for the week. I unlocked the door to let myself in. I made sure I locked it behind me, and then I headed to the back of the office. I had to give it to Jerry: he had a significant amount of space in his workplace. The whole headquarters had five separate rooms. Most of our clients had seen only Jerry’s office and the front lobby, where my desk and Tammy’s were located. A little hallway led to a cherrywood country-style kitchen with a fridge, stove, coffee machine, microwave, and minibar. That was where we normally ate our lunches.