by Prenisha Aja
Here I was playing with my fate, by getting behind the wheel of the car. I could see it now, Professor Troy Venson in jail for DWI.
Rubbing my hand down my face, I put my seat belt on, sat up straight and focused on the road. As I drove, it was like I could hear my damn ears ringing. My face felt numb and my palms were clammy.
Get it together nigga, I told myself as I adjusted myself some more in the seat.
I continued to drive until I had finally made it to Jadoré’s crib. Thanking God I wasn’t pulled over, I got out the car and went up to her door.
I twisted the doorknob and knocked on the door at the same damn time.
“Jadoré, open the damn door,” I banged.
Jadoré swung the door open as she held my son in her arms. I staggered in and tried to snatch him out of her arms.
“Don’t be banging on my fucking door like that, and don’t be so fucking loud,” she fussed, but I wasn’t trying to hear any of that shit.
She wanted me over here to be with my son, so here I was.
“Give me my son. Isn’t that what you wanted?” I tried to grab him again out of her arms, but she moved too quickly which made me stagger forward and fall into the wall.
“Wow, you came over here like that and expect to hold my fucking son?” She scrunched her face up in disgust and shook her head.
“Just go, Troy.” She pointed towards the door.
Little did she know, she had me fucked up. I wasn’t leaving. She wanted me to come over and spend time with my child then that was what I was about to do.
“If you don’t give me my child. I’m not going nowhere,” I roared.
My loud voice caused her and my son to jump. He then began crying and I watched on as Jadoré tried to console him.
“Give him here,” I demanded of her.
“No, Troy if you don’t leave, I’ll be calling the cops. That bitch leaving has your mind all fucked up. Get the fuck out of my house.” Anger dripped from her words but now I was pissed.
I quickly made my way over to her; I clasped my hand around her throat, and I watched as horror painted her pretty little face. She was trying to speak but no words could come out.
“Watch your fucking mouth. Yeah, we got a baby together, but don’t you ever disrespect her. Now let me kiss my son so I can get the fuck out of here.”
She nodded her head to the best of her ability. I let her go and leaned down so that I could kiss my son. I could hear her sniffle, but I didn’t care.
After placing a kiss on my son’s forehead, I quickly got out of her house. I knew that as soon as I was out of dodge, she was going to call the cops on me, but shit, what proof did she have? She didn’t have any bruises and my ass was going to be in Texas in the morning.
The hot, crisp air quickly reminded me that I was no longer in New York. Just from walking from my rental to the front of the restaurant, had little beads of sweat forming on my forehead. I could feel myself began to sweat under my damn armpits.
I quickly opened the door to a nice little spot on Washington Street. Brynlee and I had come here whenever we would come to Texas which wasn’t that many times. I never pushed her to come and she never seemed interested in coming back.
The cool air caused me to want to stand and take it in all in. The hostess, who was a tall black male dressed in all black, walked up to me wearing a big smile on his face.
“Hello, glad to be out of that heat huh?” he joked with me.
“Hell yeah, man. It’s been a minute since I’ve been to Texas. I forgot how hot it can be here,” I replied, and he chuckled while grabbing a menu.
“Already, but ain’t no place better,” he boasted.
“Are we sitting one or two?” he continued.
“One,” I let him know, and he guided me to a table in the front right corner, as we chatted and joked about whose city was better.
Once I was finally seated, I looked over the menu to try to find something to satisfy my grumbling stomach. I hadn’t eaten anything since I touched ground. The first thing I did was go and get me a room and gather my thoughts. I also had to deal with Jadoré threatening to never let me see my son again, and a whole bunch of other bullshit that I wasn’t concerned with right now.
Jadoré had chosen to be a bitch at the wrong time. She out of all people knew what I was dealing with and I would expect her not to act the way that she was.
Instead of showing some type of understanding like she had always done, she was acting like a baby mother I never wanted to have. However, I guess when a baby was involved it changed things.
As I finally decided what I wanted to eat, in stormed this Texas beauty. Her face was twisted up into a frown and as she talked to the hostess, she looked over her shoulder, rolled her eyes and continued talking. She was then led to a table across from me.
I knew I was in Texas to get my girl right, but I was still a man. So, when I saw a pretty girl, I eyed her. It didn’t mean I wanted her, I just appreciated God’s wonderful gift to this earth. Oh, and women from Texas always had this crazy ass swag about them. That, right along with their banging ass bodies.
“You ready to order sir?” my waiter walked up to my table and asked.
I quickly took my attention off of the brown skin cutie and looked down at my menu so that I made sure I ordered the right thing.
“Yeah, let me get the chicken and waffles.” I looked up at him.
“And how would you like your eggs, sir?”
“Scrambled, and let them cook for a little bit. I don’t like when they all wet,” I replied.
“Got you. Would you like anything to drink other than water?”
“Yeah, give me an orange juice and whatever brown liquor you got,” I let him know as I folded the menu closed.
“We have both Crown Royal and Jack Daniel’s,” he stated with his pen and pad in his hand.
“Jack, and thank you.” I handed him back his menu as I watched a guy come and join the chick that I had been eyeing.
The moment he sat down, the tension could be felt between the two of them. Not even seconds later, they were arguing.
She was mumbling something to him, and I could tell by her hand gestures that she was giving him the business. They even ignored the waiter when she walked over and sat two glasses of water down on the table.
“Can you just come back? We’re not ready yet. Sorry,” the girl said to the waiter.
The waiter then walked off and that’s when my and her eyes connected, before she quickly shook her head and went back to talking shit to her dude.
Finally, my food had come, and I was now digging in. The girl and the dude were now calm and were no longer arguing. They had ordered their food and everything. The place was now quiet, and I was able to gather my thoughts and try to come up with an idea.
Hell, I was here now, and I had no clue what my next move was. I guess I should have thought more about this before I hopped my ass on a plane, not even knowing if this was really where Brynlee was. I just felt like that was her mother’s voice that I had heard through the phone.
“Spencer, who the fuck keeps calling you?” the chick asked, which caused me to pop my head up while in the middle of taking a bite out of my chicken.
“Business, so chill out Kelia.”
Kelia. I had made a mental note of her name as they began to argue again. This time, they were louder and causing a bigger scene.
“I can’t keep doing this.” Kelia sighed as she rubbed her hand down her face, leaned forward and placed her elbow on the table.
“Keep doing what? So, you just refuse to let us have a good day today. You been on that bullshit since that shit happened weeks ago,” the guy Spencer said.
“Spencer whatever.” Kelia fanned him off.
This shit was juicy. I couldn’t believe I was watching their asses argue. However, I needed to get my ass up out of here.
“Aye waiter, can I have my receipt?” I signed towards the waiter when she walked by.
/> I had other shit to be doing other than watching these two fools in here arguing. They really just needed to makeup and get over whatever the fuck was the issue.
“You know what bitch, I see you want to act up in public.” Spencer had now risen to his feet and began digging in his pocket.
He pulled out some money, threw it on the table then grabbed the Kelia chick by the arm and began forcing her towards the door.
She began to scream for him to let her go and that she wasn’t going anywhere with him. Her screams caused one of the managers to get involved and threaten to call the cops.
“Cool. That’s how we doing it Kelia? Bet. Find your own way home, bitch!” the dude spat as he walked backwards out of the door with a mug on his face.
Kelia was now crying and was distraught as she sat down in a chair, while a waiter offered her some water. I didn’t know why, but I had the urge to see if she needed a ride. Even though I had other shit to do, like go find my fiancée, I couldn’t help but see if she needed my assistance.
I really felt like I could sense what she was going through. It was something about her that reminded me of me when I was slowly spiraling out of control and needed someone to vent to. Which was how Jadoré and I became close. I needed that listening ear that I couldn’t get from the person that I was lying next to at night. To be honest, despite my and Jadoré’s poor decision to fuck around, I felt like she was also the reason I didn’t lose Brynlee sooner.
“Say, you need a ride?” I walked over to her and she looked up at me with red puffy eyes, the tip of her nose was a little red and she looked tired.
“I don’t know. I don’t know you.” She sniffled.
“Well suit yourself.” I shrugged and before I could walk out of the door, she was running behind me.
“No, wait. Can you just drop me off at my house please?” she asked.
“Yeah, come on,” I told her and she followed me to my car.
As we walked to the car, she kept looking over her shoulder as if she was waiting for her dude to pop out from around the corner, to jerk her ass back up.
When I made it to the car, I grabbed my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door. We both opened the door and got in at the same time.
“Key your address in my phone,” I asked of her, handing her my phone.
I then started the car and began to back out of the parking spot. Kelia handed me back my phone and I let the GPS guide me to her spot.
While I drove, I kept looking over at her as she sat quietly, staring out of the window.
As I drove, I kept debating on if I wanted to spark up a conversation with her. A part of me told me to mind my business and another said to see what I could find out.
“You good?” I asked her.
“Yeah,” she replied, never even looking in my direction.
Her dry response had me not wanting to say nothing else, so I turned the radio up and let the music play for the remainder of the ride.
When I pulled up to her house, there was a car parked in her yard which caused her to exhale.
“Is that him?” I questioned.
I noticed that she didn’t want to get out the car. Thank God, the windows on the car were tinted because I knew that whoever it was wasn’t able to see inside of the car.
“Yes, and sadly, I know if I go in there, we are going to argue and fight. I’m so tired of that. I don’t want to do that shit,” she expressed as her eyes set low and her shoulders slouched over.
“I can keep going if you want,” I offered, but she shook her head and reached for the door handle.
I reached out, grabbed her arm and stopped her. “Aye, take my number. I’m here for a few days so if you need me to come and rescue you, just shoot me a text.”
For the first time since I laid eyes on her, I had finally seen her smile. Kelia stopped herself from getting out the car and handed me her phone. I quickly put my number in her phone, and she mouthed, “thank you,” as she got out the car.
I had no clue what she was walking into and I didn’t stay to watch. I pulled my phone out and tried to call Brynlee. When she didn’t answer, I sent her a text and let her know that she would have to either talk to me or see me, and the choice was hers.
12
Kelia
When I got out the car, I turned and watch ol’ dude drive off, whose name I never retrieved.
Sighing, I looked at Spencer as he sat in his car. I already had my lie ready and prepared because I knew he would want to know who in the fuck I was in the car with.
Before I could even walk past his car, he was hopping out with a scowl on his face. His bald head was shining as the sun radiated off of it. The way he stood with his jaw tensed up, let me know it was about to be hell between us.
Not even backlogging him, I kept walking past him. I figured that was the best thing to do because if I had stopped and said anything, we would only end up arguing outside and causing a scene for the neighbors, which I was tired of. I knew everyone around us was probably thinking, damn, they always fighting and arguing.
While I walked up to my front door, I could hear Spencer’s footsteps behind me. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified. His silence was worse than him expressing himself.
Spencer was a man of so much pride and ego; however, it was so easy to cause him to be insecure.
Not even fully in the house with the door closed, Spencer pushed me up against the wall. The veins in his hands that also ran up his arms could be seen pulsating as he squeezed my neck tightly.
“Why do you insist on playing with me?” he spat as his nostrils flared out, his jaw twitched, and his face was twisted up into a scowl.
“Nobody is playing with you. You the only one that is playing fucking games Spencer,” I struggled to reply back.
“Bitch, nobody is playing with you. I need you to get yo’ shit together. You're acting like you forgot who I was. Embarrassing me in public and shit,” he roared.
The more he talked, the tighter he squeezed, and the more I could feel my eyes feel as though they were about to pop out. I was clawing at his hands so hard that one of my acrylic nails popped off.
As he choked me, I was saved by the ringing of my phone. He let my neck go and I dropped to the ground trying to catch my breath.
“Who the fuck is that calling you?” he questioned, digging in my purse for my phone.
I watched Spencer dump all my shit out of purse just to get my phone. I had no strength to get up and stop him. He picked up my phone and a wide grin spread across his face, resembling one like the Grinch.
“Hello,” he answered the phone as he placed it on speaker phone.
I sat on the cold tile floor with my head down as I waited for Sawyer to say something back. I knew that nigga and whatever came out of his mouth wasn’t going to be something nice.
“Where the fuck my baby mama at? I’m pretty sure I called her fuckin’ phone,” Sawyer aggressively replied causing Spencer to let out a loud chuckle that caused me to flinch.
“Nigga, I see you ain’t learn shit yet,” Spencer boasted into the phone which caused me to actually find the strength to pop my head up and look at him.
On everything I loved and knew, the last thing he wanted was to start a war with Sawyer.
“Damn nigga, what the fuck is yo’ issue? You mad because yo’ non rapping ass didn’t make it? You want a shot, just say that shit. I’ll give you yo’ lil’ five minutes of fame,” Sawyer nastily replied, bruising Spencer’s ego.
Spencer’s temples began to thump and the look on his face, let me know that what Sawyer had said to him, hit where it hurt.
Spencer had been trying to get his music off the ground but wasn’t successful with it, and I knew that shit bothered him. For a minute, I felt like he only dated me because he thought I could get him in the door with Sawyer. But the shit didn’t work like that and I knew it probably angered him.
“Fuck you nigga, and a nigga can’t rap shit from a grave,” he th
reatened Sawyer, and I knew all hell was about to break lose.
“Tell my baby mama to tell you about me and how I rock. Now if yo’ pussy ass done sounding like a lil’ bitch, let me talk to Kelia. Just know the next time you see me, it’ll be less talking,” Sawyer calmly stated.
“Say less.” Spencer was trying to play that hard role, but little did he know he was nothing compared to my baby father.
Sawyer would forever be that nigga and I would bet my life when it came to him going up against any nigga. No matter what, my heart was going to forever belong to him. And if it was up to me, I would be with him, but he was through with me.
“Here.” Spencer threw me my phone but since I wasn’t paying attention, it hit the floor and the screen cracked.
“And keep that shit on speaker,” he jealously said, and I rolled my eyes, sighed and cleared my throat.
“Hello.” I swallowed hard. My throat was hurting, and I had to rub my hands across it, hoping it would soothe it from aching.
“The fuck you got going on over there Kelia? You want me to put a nigga six feet under? I was trying to see if you want to see Sai' but I see you still need to get your head together and get that fuck nigga up out yo’ shit,” he was expressed to me as Spencer stood over me, with a look of malice on his face.
Surprisingly, Spencer towered over me listening in as Sawyer kept spitting out disrespectful words, but not once did Spencer open his mouth to say anything. I knew once I hung up the phone, he was going to be spitting out all types of hot shit, and I wasn’t going to want to hear it.
“Ok Sawyer, well I will talk to you later,” I told him.
Spencer kicked me on the leg and ran his hand across his throat to let me know that time was up, and I needed to get off the phone.
“Aye Kelia, don’t forget that even though we don’t see eye to eye, if you need me, I’m still—”
“Bye, bitch ass nigga.” Spencer had snatched the phone out of my hand and cut Sawyer off then hung up in his face.
He tossed my phone back down where I was then walked off. I sat on the floor for a while crying, until I finally grew the strength to get up.