“You don’t have to convince me to be honest with you, Demi. I’m gonna do that no matter what and that’s my word,” Cam promised.
“Okay,” Demi replied. “But, about the baby. Is there a possibility that it could be yours?”
“It’s a strong possibility. I can’t even front on her like that. Me and Asha had a very active sex life up until the day she left,” Cam admitted.
“So, now what?” Demi asked as she blew out a breath of frustration.
“I don’t even know Demi. Until I have proof of paternity, I’m not thinking about Asha or this pregnancy. She did this shit to herself by sleeping with more than one man.”
“She’s gonna give you hell. I can already see it,” Demi informed him.
“I know and I understand if you don’t want to be in the middle of it all. You know how I feel about you, Demi, but I’d rather have you as a friend than not have you at all,” Cam said.
“I’m not going nowhere Camden, but you might be taking care of me for the rest of my life. I’ll be disbarred for sure if I have to deal with that crazy bitch for the next eighteen years,” Demi noted.
“Damn. You plan to stay around that long?” Cam asked with a smile.
“I won’t have a job, so I have to,” Demi laughed.
“You know I got you, baby,” Cam assured her.
“Okay,” Demi said as she jumped up and started taking off her clothes.
“What are you doing Demi?” Cam asked her.
“You said you got me, so I’m getting ready,” Demi replied.
“Getting ready for what?” he questioned.
“Flip me,” Demi said as she threw her naked body in his arms.
Cam laughed, but he had her covered. He’d created a monster with Demi in the bedroom, but he didn’t mind. He had a lot on his plate and he needed a distraction. Asha and her unexpected pregnancy was at the forefront of his problems. Cam didn’t know what the outcome would be, but he hoped that Demi was strong enough to stay by his side during it all.
Chapter 24
“I don’t know Asha, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Laila said over the phone.
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing that you’re not me,” Asha flippantly replied as she watched the lady do her pedicure.
Cam was serious about not dealing with her until he found out the paternity of the baby. Asha had called him so much, until he blocked her from calling altogether. He blocked out every number that she called from and didn’t think twice about it. Blocking numbers wasn’t Cam’s style, so she knew that it had a lot to do with his new bitch. Asha decided to get an amniocentesis test done because she was curious herself. She told Cam that she was sure, but she really had no idea. She’d slept with him and Randy on the same day more than once, so she was clueless.
“I heard that the risk for miscarriage is high when you do that though,” Laila said, shaking Asha from her thoughts.
“Well, my doctor said that he’s done it a million times and none of his patients have ever miscarried. He said that a little light cramping is all that I have to worry about,” Asha replied.
“Cam is wrong for that shit. He knows that’s his baby. Nigga got all that money and want to try to act brand new,” Laila instigated.
“That’s his new bitch probably in his ear, but they better be on their knees praying that he’s not the daddy. Their lives will never be the same when I get through with them,” Asha replied.
“Either way, you’ll be good. Randy is still making money with Lo and he still has his shop,” Laila said.
“Girl, please. That shop barely be open now. Cam took all his business and most of his employees too. He doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing, so he needs to just close it down. He’s been working more with Lo than anything,” Asha replied.
“I can’t believe that Cam is messing with Lo’s wife. How does she look?” Laila questioned.
“She’s okay,” Asha said, downplaying the beauty that she’d seen at Cam’s apartment.
“I heard that she’s moving in the new house with him and everything,” Laila commented.
“What don’t you hear Laila? You always hearing some shit,” Asha snapped.
“I hear everything boo. And what I don’t hear, I see,” Laila laughed.
“You see everything but the obvious,” Asha chuckled, throwing shade like she was known to do.
“What does that mean?” Laila asked.
“I’m just fucking with you, girl, but I gotta go. I need to put my feet under the dryer for a while,” Asha replied before hanging up.
She eased out of the chair and grabbed her shoes from the floor. The paper slippers that she had on made it hard to walk, but Asha made it to the chair and put her feet under the dryer. She took out her phone and played a game while she waited for the mint green polish on her toenails to dry. When the door chimed a few minutes later, one of the Asian ladies who owned the shop asked the person who entered if they needed help. When Asha heard the ghetto tone in the person’s voice, she looked up into the face of one of Nia’s sisters. She would recognize those hood rats from a mile away because they often ran in the same circle. Whether it was a card game or the club, Asha was always seeing them somewhere. Nia was the youngest and the only one with her head on straight. She was also the most boring one of the siblings, which was why Randy left her.
“Come here Nia!” the loud, ghetto woman yelled, making everyone in the shop look over at her.
When Asha saw Nia walk in, she already knew that it was about to be some drama. Nia was dressed in a pair of loose-fitting joggers with a tank top and some Nikes. Her shoulder-length hair was pulled back into a ponytail, like she was ready to put in some work.
“Handle your business,” another one of her sisters walked in and said, right before Nia swung and hit Asha in the back of her head.
The shop was in an uproar soon after. The ladies who worked there were screaming for them to leave, but Asha was in survival mode. Not just for her, but her unborn child. Nia was no match for her and Asha had her on the ground in no time at all. Of course, her sisters weren’t having that.
“Get off my lil sister bitch!” one of them yelled as she pushed Asha away.
“That bitch know better than to run up on me!” Asha yelled as she tried to control her breathing.
“Get out! Get out now!” one of the ladies yelled as she ran up to them.
“Bitch, shut up and go finish doing those pedicures!” one of Nia’s sisters yelled, as she grabbed Asha by her hair and pulled her outside.
Asha was swinging like crazy, but the other woman was heavier and unfazed by her licks. “Get off me, hoe!” Asha yelled as she pulled away from her.
“You better deal with this hoe, Nia. And Randy’s punk ass is next,” another woman who was waiting outside said.
It was Nia and three other women, and Asha was all alone. She could tell that Nia didn’t want to do it, but they were pushing her up to make an example out of her enemy. Asha wasn’t scary, but she couldn’t just think about herself anymore. She was never the type to back down from a fight, but there was a first time for everything.
“Look, any other time I would have gladly entertained y’all and this foolishness, but I’m pregnant,” Asha revealed, hoping to gain a little sympathy.
Nia looked hurt, but her sisters didn’t seem to give a damn.
“Bitch, you being pregnant don’t have shit to do with your face. Aim high and deal with that hoe, Nia!” one of her sisters yelled, making Nia spring into action.
Asha didn’t know if it was the news of her being pregnant that fueled Nia, but she was raining blows to her face that stung like a thousand bees. Asha was trying to swing back with one hand because she used the other to shield her stomach, just in case Nia decided to fight dirty. She lost her footing and fell to the ground, giving up and accepting the fact that she’d lost the fight.
“Break it up!” a man yelled when he walked out of the barber shop next door to the nai
l salon.
Asha thought that she was being saved when he pulled Nia off her and slung her to the side. That was before Nia’s sisters sprang into action and started swinging on him. Asha couldn’t believe it when she looked over and saw him lying on the ground next to her, curled up like a baby. Since the women were busy focusing on him, Asha pulled herself up and ran back into the shop. She grabbed her purse and sprinted to her car as fast as she could.
When she skidded out of the parking lot, she looked in her rear mirror and saw that the man was still on the ground. Asha felt bad for him because he was only trying to help. Being a good Samaritan didn’t pay off for him that day. He was getting his ass whooped and she was headed home. Asha looked at her face in the mirror and cringed at the bruised face that stared back at her. Nia had one up on her, but her ass belonged to Asha as soon as she dropped her baby.
Chapter 25
“I don’t know why I even came here. I told you that I felt fine. My face is a little bruised, but they didn’t touch my stomach,” Asha fussed as she laid up in the uncomfortable hospital bed.
Her mother insisted that she go and, now, her doctor wanted her to stay overnight. She fell, and he just wanted to monitor her overnight. He said that her baby’s heartbeat was strong, but he just wanted to be sure that everything was okay. The best part about it was that he’d decided that he’d do her amniocentesis the following morning before he sent her home. Asha was ready to solve the mystery of who her baby’s father was and she prayed that it was Cam. She needed a way back into his life and a baby would be perfect.
“I can’t wait until your brothers catch up with them hoes,” Asha’s mother, Gina, said.
“I can’t wait until I drop this baby. It’s over for Nia’s scary ass when I do,” Asha fussed.
“The fact that you told them that you were pregnant and they still fought you is what got me pissed. And where is Randy? I know he sees that we’ve been trying to call him. I hope like hell he ain’t the baby’s daddy, with his simple ass,” Gina said.
“That makes two of us,” Asha said as she called Randy’s phone again. At first it was ringing, but it had started going straight to voicemail after a while.
“I got some words for his ass when I do see him. Anything could be wrong and he’s not answering the phone. Did you call Cam?” Gina asked.
“How, when he has me blocked?” Asha answered.
“He’s too damn stupid. Why would he block you knowing that you could be pregnant with his baby?” Gina questioned.
“Probably because his new bitch is getting in his ear. I’m surprised that he answered for you,” Asha replied.
Asha had her mother call Cam from the hospital’s phone with the information on where to go to be tested. He assured her that he was going as soon as possible, since he was just as curious as they were. Gina hated to see what her daughter was going through. Right or wrong, Asha was her baby and she had her back. Gina was always known for upholding her children’s wrongdoings. She knew everything that they did and she participated in some of it. Her sons took care of her and that was all that mattered. She didn’t care that it was done with drug or robbery money. They had to make a living somehow. Cam was in his feelings because Asha left him, but he should have done right to keep her happy.
“How long before the paternity test results come back?” Gina asked.
“My doctor said that it usually takes seven to ten days,” Asha replied as her eyes fluttered.
She was tired from everything that she had endured that day and she was ready to take a nap. Her mother got comfortable in the chair that she was in and both women fell asleep soon after. The next morning, Asha had the procedure done before she was released to go home. She didn’t feel any cramping like she was told she would, but she was still ordered to stay on bedrest for a few days as a precaution. Since Randy was still nowhere to be found, Asha’s mother went back to her house with her.
“Hello,” Asha said, answering her phone for an unknown number as she laid in her bed.
“Asha!” Randy yelled into the phone.
“Nigga, you must be out of your damn mind. Where the hell are you?” Asha asked him.
“Man, I’m in jail,” Randy replied.
“Jail!” Asha yelled while sitting straight up in bed.
“Yeah man and shit is all fucked up,” Randy replied.
“Please tell me that you didn’t get caught with anything,” Asha pleaded.
“Man, I got stopped with all that shit that I got from Lo,” Randy revealed.
“How the fuck did that happen?” Asha asked.
“Man, I don’t know, but something ain’t right. Not too long after I met with his boy, Lawrence, and got the shit, I got pulled over by the police for speeding in a school zone. I think them niggas set me up?” Randy said.
“No, Lo would never do no shit like that. Why would he set you up and run the risk of implicating himself? Your ass was probably speeding just like the police said. I’m always fussing at you about that,” Asha replied.
“I’m losing my damn mind in here,” Randy stressed.
“It’s only been a day Randy, calm down. I’ve been in the hospital all night, thanks to your ex bitch,” Asha informed him.
“Why? What happened?” Randy asked.
He listened, as Asha ran everything down to him about Nia and her sisters. Randy wasn’t surprised about what they did. Nia’s sisters were bout that life, even if she wasn’t. They’d threatened Randy a million times since he’d been with their sister, and he believed they would make good on them. They warned him not to break Nia’s heart, but he did it anyway.
“I had the test done too,” Asha said, speaking of the amniocentesis.
“Damn man, don’t I have to get tested too?” Randy asked.
“Not really. Cam is getting tested, so that’s enough. If he’s not the father, then we know that you are,” Asha replied.
“I hope I am. I don’t want that nigga around us for another eighteen years or more,” Randy said, like Cam had done something to him.
He would never admit it to anyone, but he was always a little envious of his friend. Cam was the bad boy that Randy desperately wanted to be. Randy grew up in a loving two-parent home and he wasn’t as street savvy as Cam was. Cam’s looks and build had women falling at his feet, while Randy always played the background. Randy wasn’t as outgoing as Cam and people rarely noticed him. He was so shocked when Asha approached him that all common sense went out the window. In his mind, a woman had finally chosen him over Cam and he loved it. He was now starting to realize that all that glittered wasn’t gold and that was the case with Asha.
“So, now what?” Asha questioned. “Do you have a bond?”
“Yeah, but it’s high as fuck. I can’t afford that shit, especially since I just spent so much money with Lo. I damn near spent all my money and now I have nothing to show for it,” Randy replied.
That was not at all what Asha wanted to hear. Randy was basically saying that he was broke, and that didn’t sit too well with her. She didn’t do broke and he knew that.
“Wow,” Asha chuckled sarcastically.
She had left Cam for the exact same thing and now the tables had turned. Cam was rolling in the dough, while the man she left him for was doing just as bad as he was before.
“These people said that I could be facing up to ten years unless I give them something that they can use,” Randy said.
“Something like what?” Asha questioned.
“They want to know where I get all that shit from. They said that if I help them, they’ll help me,” Randy replied.
“They want you to snitch on Lo?” Asha asked.
“Either that or do time, and I can’t handle that shit Asha,” Randy panicked.
“Are you fucking crazy Randy! You’re a walking target if you even think about doing some shit like that. You better take that L and keep it pushing,” Asha fussed.
“I can’t do no jail time Asha. It’s only been
one day and I’m going crazy already. You should see the kind of shit they tried to make me eat,” Randy said.
“You’re a first-time offender Randy. They’ll take that into consideration. Don’t let those people get you killed by saying some shit that you’re not supposed to say. They lie to people and make false promises all the time, just to get what they want. Your mama can get you a good lawyer and you can walk away from this,” Asha advised.
“I don’t know why I started selling that shit in the first place. This jail and dope shit ain’t even me, man. I should have just been satisfied with the money from my shop, but I just had to be greedy. Now, I’ve lost my business and probably my freedom too,” Randy sniffled.
“Nigga, I know your grown ass ain’t crying!” Asha yelled as she moved the phone away from her face and looked at it with a frown.
“Man, no, I ain’t crying,” Randy lied while wiping a stray tear from his eye.
Cam was right when he said that Randy wasn’t built for the life that he was trying to live. He should have just stuck with Nia and lived the simple life. Instead, he let Asha sell him a dream that had slowly turned into a nightmare. When the operator announced that he was coming to the end of his free call, Randy promised Asha that he would call her later. She told him that she was gonna try to look into getting him a lawyer, but he didn’t believe her. If it came down to her spending money on him a lawyer or going shopping, Randy knew that he didn’t stand a chance.
***
Two weeks later, Asha was sitting outside the jailhouse waiting for Randy to come out. She had to do a double take when he walked out of the building because he looked as if he’d aged ten years in that short period of time. Randy’s normally short hair had grown out and so did his beard. He’d lost a little weight and the clothes that he had on were hanging from his slender body.
“What happened? What made them let you out? I hope you didn’t do what I think you did,” Asha said when he got into the car.
“Hello to you too, Asha. I’ve been gone for two weeks and that’s the first thing that you say to a nigga,” Randy argued.
I Heard It All Before Page 19