by Jerniqua K.
“Oh my God, Lyric! Thank goodness you’re awake!” she hugged me, and I winced in pain. “I’m sorry! I’ve just been so worried about you. Dynasty called me screaming last night saying she didn’t know what happened to you.”
I wanted to tell her what happened, but I was too embarrassed. How was I supposed to be looking out for her if I couldn’t even protect myself? She handed me the cup of ice water that sat on the table and shot me a knowing look.
“Uh Lyric. Don’t you sit there and doubt or blame yourself for this shit. None of this was your fault. I hope they find whoever did this shit to you and make his ass suck a sick dick, before they cut his off.”
I frowned and looked at her. She only smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m keeping the baby.”
“Really?” I smiled.
“Yeah. Me and Dom talked about it and…we’re getting married.”
I choked on my water. “Married? Des, don’t you think you’re too young?”
“No. Me and Dom have been together for three years, and I know I don’t want anyone but him. He even got us a house and everything.”
I didn’t like what Destiny was saying, but who was I to stop her happiness? As long as her and the baby were good, I would be happy.
“Please say that I have your blessing, Lyric.” She gave me the puppy dog eyes, and I wanted to punch her. She knew I could never say no to that shit.
“Yes Des, you have my blessing, but if he fucks up that’s his ass! I’m not playing.” She squealed in excitement as she reached over and hugged me again. “Bitch if you squeeze me like that again, I’m gon’ beat the shit out of you!”
Just as she got ready to say some slick shit back, my phone rang. Despite the pain I was in, I still managed to smile at the sight of Brick’s name.
“Well hello stranger,” I cooed into the phone.
“Ah don’t play me like that ma! I know I’ve been MIA, I just been trying to get shit together.”
“It’s cool, I understand.” I watched as Destiny walked out the room to give me some privacy.
“I know a place where they serve the best breakfast, and I was hoping that you would join me?”
“Of course I will, Brick.”
“A'ight, well be ready at 9 and I’ll come scoop you.”
We talked a little bit more, and then he had to go. I was a little upset that we had such a short conversation, but I didn’t dwell on it long since I would be seeing him in the morning. When the nurse came back in my room, I asked her when I could check out. I had only been up for about an hour, and the room was already becoming depressing. I was glad when she told me I could leave tonight. I slowly got up from the bed and changed from the gown into the clothes that Destiny brought. When she came in the room with a tray of chicken strips and a cheeseburger, I fell out laughing. This baby was gonna blow her little ass up!
***
I was so excited about seeing Brick again that I woke up at the ass crack of dawn to start getting ready. It was unusually warm for it to be fall, so I decided to take advantage of the weather by throwing on a red short-sleeved top and a pair of black skinny jeans. I pulled my black and red Jordans from the closet and slid those on. I wanted to be a little cuter, but the pain in my body wouldn’t allow it. I still hadn’t gotten around to getting my hair done, so I rubbed a little olive oil through my curls and let them hang freely down my back.
By the time I finished getting ready, it was 8:45 and I knew that Brick would be on time. I went to Destiny’s room to peek in on her, and she was knocked out with Dominic right beside her. They were so cute together! I crept back out the room and walked right into Yandy.
“My bad, Yand.”
She smirked and kept walking. Rude bitch! I didn’t know what was up with her, but lately she’d been actin’ real shady. Anyways, I shrugged that shit off and went downstairs to wait for Brick outside. While I sat on the porch, I noticed a black Kia Optima across the street. There was someone sitting outside, and if I didn’t know any better I would swear up and down that he was watching the house. An eerie feeling washed over me, but it didn’t last long because only a few short moments later, I heard Brick’s music from down the street. When he got a little closer, I noticed that he was driving yet another car; this time it was a gunmetal-colored Audi. I stood up from the step and wiped my ass off as I walked to the curb. When he pulled over, I slowly got into the car, hoping he didn’t notice the pain I was in.
He ran his fingers through my hair and played in it. “This all you?” he said when he felt no tracks.
“Yes sir it is.”
He let go and shook his head as he pulled off. “I don’t get y’all females man! Some of y’all hair be longer than the damn weave y’all put in it.”
“They’re easier to maintain though. My shit is so thick in the summertime that I would rather not even deal with it or put the extra heat on it.”
“Yeah whatever. I like your natural hair, ma; that shit is sexy for a woman to have all that hair.” I ran my hand through my hair and smiled. Maybe I’d settle for a silk press or something.
“So are you gon’ tell me where we’re going?”
“I thought about it, but you ain’t never heard of it anyway, so it’s pointless. Just sit back and ride.”
“How you gon’ tell me what I heard of?” I asked laughing.
“Because I know for a fact you ain’t heard of this joint. It’s only for exclusive muthafuckas like myself,” he joked.
“If you don’t quit it!”
We rode for about ten minutes before we pulled up to this big ass house in St. Joe. I looked over at Brick, who had a sneaky ass smile on his face.
“I thought you said we were going to a restaurant.”
“I think you need to clean your ears out, shorty. I said I know a place that makes the best breakfast,” he winked at me, and I playfully rolled my eyes back at him. When I climbed out of the car, a surge of pain shot through my lower back, and this time he didn't miss it. “You good ma?” he asked with a frown on his face.
“Uh yeah, I must have tried to get up too quick or something.” He grabbed my hand and helped me step out of the car. “So for real Bryce, where are we?”
He ignored my question, and practically dragged me to the door. As soon as we hit the porch, the smell of French toast and bacon greeted my nose, causing my stomach to growl. I watched as Bryce rang the doorbell and not even a few seconds later, the door swung open. I was surprised when a woman that could have passed for Jennifer Lopez stood in front of us with her hand on her hip.
“Well it’s about damn time you found time to come see your mama, boy!”
“Ma, I just saw you last week.” I watched as she smacked him in the head. He playfully pushed her and then kissed her cheek. She then moved aside and let us come in.
“And who is this pretty little thing you got with you?” she asked as she smiled at me.
“Ma, this is Lyric. Lyric, this is my mother Pamela.”
I gave a bashful smile. “Hello, Mrs. Donovan.”
“Ooh...I like her, Bryce!”
I smiled again, only this time harder. I had never met anyone’s parents before, and I was glad that she liked me. Brick grabbed my hand, and the three of us went into the dining room. My mouth watered at the spread she had on the table. There was cheesy eggs, grits, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, and anything else you could think of! With the amount of food she had on the table, you would think she was feeding an army instead of three people.
“Can I help you with anything?” I asked before I sat down.
“No baby, just have a seat next to Bryce. We’re waiting on his slow ass sister to arrive.” Just as the words left her mouth, the doorbell rang. When Pam walked away, I punched Brick in his arm.
“What was that for?”
“Why didn’t you tell me I was meeting your mama? I would have dressed up or something.”
“Girl, chill out! You look good like that. My mama cool
as fuck.”
“Cuss again, nigga,” she said as she came back. I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. “Mariah, get yo ass out that bacon and say grace first!” she yelled.
I looked up and saw Tyriq and the girl I’m assuming was Mariah. Relief washed over me as I noticed that she was the girl I had seen in the picture back at Brick’s condo. More introductions were made, and then Mariah blessed the food. The nervousness I felt was long gone as I sat among Brick’s family laughing and talking. This was the type of shit I missed most about having a family.
Brick
“You enjoy yourself, babygirl?”
“Yes I did! Your mother is a trip.”
“Yeah that woman is something else. She really took a liking to you,” I watched as she blushed. It was about 2 in the afternoon, and we were finally able to break away from my mother. After we ate, she kept pulling out photo albums and trying to steal Lyric away from me. I won’t lie, it felt good as fuck to see the two of them vibinglike that. My mother was usually a good judge in character when it came to the women I brought home. She hated Journee with a passion! When she first met her, she wouldn’t even allow her past the threshold. I remember the shit like it was yesterday.
Me and Journee had been talking for about six months, and she thought that it was time she met my mother. I reluctantly agreed and told her to put her shit on. She was so excited, and I was just ready to get it over with. When I knocked on the door, my mother hugged and kissed me, and allowed me to step in. Journey tried to do the same, but my mother quickly stuck her foot in the door.
“Who the hell is this, Bryce?”
“Ma that’s Journee. I told you I was bringing her by.” She looked her up and down, and shook her head.
“Well you brought her, now you can take her back from wherever the fuck you got her.”
“Ma! Quit acting like that.” I knew when my mother was serious, so I gave Journee the key to my car and told her to give me a second. It was freezing cold outside, but I knew my mama had no problem leaving her ass out there. Journee did as told and once she was in the car, I closed the door to the house. “Mama, why you being like that?”
“Something is off about that girl, Bryce. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t like her. She’s bad news.”
“You didn’t even get the chance to know her.”
“I don’t need to know her, child! I know her type. She’s trouble and I don’t want her around here.”
“Ma–” She cut me off with a stern look.
“Don’t ‘Ma’ me! I said what I said, and there is nothing you can do to change my mind about her. You may not see it now, but you will. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and I can see straight through her ass.”
“Well what about dinner?” I said, peeking around her at the dinner table. “You made all of this food and now it’s going to go to waste.”
“Between you and Tyriq’s ass, I highly doubt that!” she laughed. “Plus, I had a feeling I wouldn’t like her so I made her a to-go plate.” I followed her to the kitchen and shook my head when I saw that she was serious. My mother was a force to be reckoned with. I’ll give her her props though; when she’s right, she’s right.
“I guess that means I’ll be sticking around for a while, huh?” Lyric asked.
“That’s the plan, lil mama.” I reached over and grabbed her hand as we sped down the highway. She opened her mouth, and I quieted her. “Don’t even think about asking where we’re going. I have some business to take care of, and I just need you to ride.”
“Well Mr. Smart Ass, I was just gonna ask if we can listen to something other than Meek Mill. I’m tired of that nigga yellin’ in my damn ear!”
I laughed and tossed the remote to the CD player in her lap. “You can chill on Meek man, his ass goes hard!”
“Apparently not hard enough if he let my boo Drake kill his ass like that.”
“That was luck. I bet Drake soft ass won’t square up with that nigga though.” She looked at me and laughed so hard that she snorted, which sent me into another fit of laughter.
I loved that she didn’t see me as Brick. I could vibe with shorty on so many different levels it was crazy! Shit between us wasn’t official yet, but I already couldn't see myself without her, so I knew it was only a matter of time before I made her mine.
“What’s something I don’t know about you?” I asked her randomly. We had a two-hour ride ahead of us, and I thought I’d make the best of it.
“Um...I know that I told you my parents were killed, but I left out the fact that they were killed right in front of me and my sister. It used to be so hard for me to sleep at night because whenever I closed my eyes, I could still see their bodies and smell the blood, even though I was nowhere near them. My sister and I didn’t even get to attend the funeral. We were too scared someone from CPS would show up and take us.” She smiled and wiped away the tear that had fallen from her eye.
“Were you close to them?”
“Very. My parents were my world. I knew they weren’t ‘good people’ to some, but to me they were everything. I miss them so much.”
“I can’t say that I know exactly how you feel, but I know what it’s like to have a parent taken away from you. When I was six, I watched the FEDS kick in my mother’s door and haul my father out. She was screaming and my sister was crying. I didn’t know what to do, so I just stood there in shock and watched. I think the shit messed me up when I got older though, because I just started becoming obsessed with being the man of my house and providing.”
“Do you ever think about getting out the game?” she asked. I looked at her for a moment, and then glued my eyes back to the road.
“Before I got locked up, I was going to sell whatever bricks of dope and weed I had left and get out. Shit just didn’t work out that way though. Muthafuckas expected me to be locked away for a few years and hit my stashes, so I had no choice but to jump back into this shit head first.” She nodded her head. “Do you want kids someday, Lyric?” I had to ask before things got too serious between us, I always wanted maybe two or three.
“I do,” she smiled. “My sister is getting ready to be a mommy, and I know once that baby gets here I’m going to have baby fever. He or she is gonna be rotten! What about you? You want any?”
“I want a few actually.”
“I’m shocked you don’t have any. It’s rare to find a man in Benton Harbor with no kids. Shit, they be starting at about 14 and 15 around here.”
“Not me, baby girl. Safe sex is a must! I can’t be around here just poppin’ babies in random bitches. The baby mamas that I’ve seen around here are fucking crazy! I’d rather have my kids by one person.” I gazed over at her, and she blushed.
About an hour and a half later, we were in Chicago – in the parking lot of Richard’s firm to be exact. It had been exactly two weeks, and I needed my fucking money. Just as I was getting ready to pull into a spot, I saw Richard speed walking to his car with a big box in his hand. I pulled behind his car and threw my shit in park before jumping out. Lyric was saying something, but I had completely tuned her out at that point.
“Going somewhere, Rich?” I growled.
He jumped so hard you would have thought his punk ass had seen a fucking ghost or some shit.
“Mr. Donovan! What can I help you with?” he asked, trying to remain professional.
“Fuck the bullshit, Rich! Where the hell is my money?” His face turned beat red, and he began to stutter. I already knew what that shit meant. I grabbed his ass by his collar like my grandma used to do me, and walked toward the back of my car, I tapped the trunk twice, and Lyric pressed the button on me key ring to open it.
“Bryce, please. I can get the money! Just don’t do this!”
“Muthafucka you had two weeks to get my shit together.” He opened his mouth, but I slammed his ass into the trunk and shut it. When I got in the car, Lyric was looking at me like I had lost my mind.
“The next time we kidnap
someone, could you give me a heads up? I’d like to at least be prepared.”
“You’re a trip, you know that?”
“I’ve heard it a time or two. So what are we gonna do with Mr. Man back there?”
“A muthafucka gotta die behind ninety g’s, baby girl.” There was no way I was going to lie to her. Her father was Lance “Casino” Taylor, and he was known for bodying niggas around here. She knew how the game was played.
Before we left the Chi, we stopped at Harold’s and got some of their bomb ass chicken. We even hit a few stores up and did a little shopping. By the time we made it to Benton Harbor, it was going on midnight. Lyric was passed out in the front seat, so I took her back to my condo and put her in the bed. She stirred a little and before I knew it, she was knocked out again. After making sure she was good, I jumped back in my ride and called Tyriq. I knew he was gon’ catch hell from Mariah about him leaving so late, but this shit couldn’t wait.
Lyric
For some odd reason, I woke up feeling like something was wrong. I didn’t have any type of idea what it could have been, but the feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that whatever was about to go down wouldn’t be pretty. It took me a moment for my eyes to adjust and when they did, I saw that I was back at Brick’s condo. I looked down at the bed and didn’t see him near me, so I got up and went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Once I finished, I went into the kitchen to make breakfast, but he had already beaten me to it.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” he said as he flipped the omelet in the pan, like he was a chef that had been doing the shit for years.
“Good morning, Chef.” I kissed his cheek and grabbed a glass from the cabinet and the apple juice from the fridge. “I didn’t know you cooked.”
“I learned from the best. Moms had my ass in the kitchen early. I used to think that shit was gay until mama put me up on game and told me y’all liked a nigga that could cook.”