by Briann Danae
Chapter Four
"I hope he likes it!" Ashlee squealed, as she decorated the cake in front of her.
Today was Alonzo's birthday, and instead of the family going out to eat to celebrate, Astryd opted on having dinner at home. It was prepared with love from the girls and her assistance. He had been in a good mood all week which was a surprise to her, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"He will baby. Put a little more on this side, and we're done," Astryd pointed out as Ashlynn waddled around the kitchen. She still hadn't grown out of her chunky legs, and it was the cutest thing seeing her bowlegged walk.
The girls had prepared Alonzo's favorite meal; fried chicken, greens, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, and a chocolate cake. Astryd had texted him an hour ago asking when he'd be home and instead of his usual rude reply, he gave her a time. Looking at the time on the stove, they had about ten minutes until he arrived.
"Daddy will be here in a minute. Let's get cleaned up so we can grab his gifts," she said, helping Ashlee down from the chair she was standing in at the counter.
Once they were cleaned up and sitting at the table with candles lit, they waited anxiously for their daddy to walk in the door. Despite the abuse he handed out to their mother like a free hug, his daughters loved him immensely. Ashlee was smitten with everything he did, and it broke Astryd's heart to see the sad look on her face when an hour passed by and Alonzo hadn't shown up yet.
"He isn't coming?" she asked softly with a hopeful look in her eyes.
Astryd swallowed down the ache in her throat. "He's just running late. You ready to eat?"
"Yes!" Ashlynn said clapping her little palms together.
Ashlee's head dropped, and Astryd hurriedly stood from the table so her daughter wouldn't see the tear she shed. It was one thing to hurt her, but to stand her babies up when they had been anticipating surprising him on his funky ass day was another thing. As she fixed their plates, Astryd called Alonzo's phone only for it to go straight to voicemail. That let her know that he had turned his phone off, but for what?
When the girls were done eating, Astryd not touching a single serving of food, she gave them a bath and tucked them in bed. Softly, she sang them the song her mother would sing her, and Ashlynn was out like a light. Ashlee yawned as her eyes fluttered.
"Mommy," she called out.
"Yes, Pumpkin?"
"Can you wake me up when Daddy gets here? I want to give him my gift."
Astryd wanted to break down, but she kept her cool. "You can give it to him in the morning okay?"
Sleepily, she nodded her head. Leaning her way, Astryd placed a single kiss to her forehead and squeezed her eyes together. Her babies were innocent and didn't deserve the hurt Alonzo was inflicting upon them at a young age. Ashlynn was only two, but Ashlee was old enough to convey her feelings, and tonight baby girls were crushed.
Cracking the door to their bedroom, Astryd made her way downstairs and took a seat at the table. It was now nine-thirty-one. Two hours and thirty-one minutes past the time Alonzo said he'd be home. Anger consumed Astryd at his blatant disrespect, then sadness consumed her body as if it was all it knew. Stumped at the realization of him standing his family up on what was supposed to be a good day, Astryd placed her elbows on the table and her head in her palms.
Once the first tear broke free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream. Softly, she whimpered at the unspeakable pain Alonzo was causing her. Her mental was ruined, and he had done it with ease. He had broken her spirit and sheltered it, so no one would be able to heal her in any way. She was his. His to hurt, to diminish, to patronize, to bruise and his to love the only way he wanted her to be loved; conditionally.
After another hour of waiting, silently crying and halfway sleep, Astryd heard the front door open, and her head popped up. Quickly, she wiped the tears from her face, swallowed down any ill feelings, and ran her hands through her hair. Standing up, she adjusted the tight-fitting dress she slipped on just for him and cleared her throat as he rounded the corner.
"Yeah, I'm here. Nah, not tonight. I'ma fuck with you later," Alonzo said as he walked into the kitchen. Seeing Astryd in her small dress, makeup on, and looking like every bit of his birthday gift, she expected him to at least give her a grin, but he didn't.
Her heart dropped to the soles of her feet as he bypassed her and went straight to the stove to pick up a piece of chicken. Dumbfounded, Astryd licked her lips and turned his way as he continued his phone conversation.
"I said I'ma fuck with you tomorrow, damn. Bye."
Sliding his phone into his pocket, he turned around while smacking loudly. His eyes were red, and his outfit was different from the one he had left out in. Sliding his arm around her waist, Alonzo pulled her to him and gripped her ass.
"You got all dressed up for me?"
She nodded. "I did. The girls and I made you dinner, and you bailed on us, Zo. I told you to be here at 7."
"You told me or asked me to be here?"
"I asked you to. We wanted to spend your day with you, and you pop up three hours later. That's not fair."
Taking a bit of his chicken, he chewed and pecked her lips. "I'm sorry, ma. Some shit came up."
When she inhaled, the scent of a sweet perfume invaded her nose. Something had come up alright, and it wasn't an emergency. Refusing to break down in front of him, Astryd sighed and tucked her feelings away like she had been doing to save face or a beat down.
"It's fine. Do you want me to fix you a plate?"
His hand dropped from her waist. "Nah. I'm good. I already ate. You can cut me a piece of that cake though and bring it to me."
Once his demand was made, Alonzo strolled out of the kitchen to their room. Disappointment filled Astryd at lightning speed. She thought about spitting on his damn cake and tossing it in the trash. But, that wouldn't fix anything. It'd surely make things worse. After cutting him a piece, Astryd climbed the steps and walked into their bedroom. Alonzo was sitting up in the bed on his phone but looked up when she was in front of him. Grinning, he grabbed the plate.
"Thanks, baby."
"You're welcome," she said, before turning and walking away.
"Dang. That's it?" He called it out like she forgot something, and she had. Turning slowly on the balls of her feet, she faced him.
"Happy Birthday," she said dryly.
"It'll be an even better one once you bring your ass to bed. Clean that shit up downstairs and hurry back to your man."
Astryd rolled her eyes so hard once she was down the hallway, they could have gotten stuck. Had they, she'd be glad to not have to see his face anymore. As she packed away the food and wiped the counters down, her phone vibrated against the granite. Brows pinched, Astryd stared at the unknown numbers text message that popped up. She had it set to where her phone didn't show the message, so she had to open it to see what it said. When she did, a hand quickly covered her mouth.
+1 (816) 555-0127: Pebbles, I know it's late, but I just wanted to invite you out for my birthday. You do remember when that is right? Have a good night beautiful.
Of course, she remembered when it was. It was a day after Alonzo's. The reason she was doing everything in her power to give him a memorable birthday, so her mind wouldn't be on what D'Haven was doing to celebrate his first birthday out of jail. Her fingers stammered over the keyboard, anticipating sending him a reply.
She wanted to so badly but knew she couldn't. Not right now at least. Them reconnecting wouldn't end well. Nothing in her life seemed to end well, and before she played a dangerous game of back and forth with D'Haven, she'd block his number. And, that's exactly what she did.
"How did he get my number anyway?" she said softly and shook her head.
Deleting the message altogether, she locked her phone and continued cleaning up the kitchen but quickly remembered she was supposed to give D'Haven a package from Winston. Sucking her teeth, she promptly sent Honey a text and asked if they could meet up tomorrow, so she could send i
t through her instead. Astryd wanted to keep her distance from D'Haven for as long as possible. It was safe. Safer than the danger she'd put herself in had she given into her urges to see him.
Sitting at the foot of the bed with a scowl on his face, Alonzo's eyes roamed Astryd's body in the tight, cream-colored dress adorning her frame. Thoughts of bending her over before she left out with her girls invaded his mind, but just as quickly as those thoughts came, they left.
"You need to change," he said sternly.
Whipping her head around to face him, Astryd's perfect brows indented her forehead. "What?"
"You heard what the fuck I said."
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Astryd said, "What's wrong with my dress?"
"It's too fucking short… and why am I explaining myself to you?" He hissed. "Change out that shit before you be staying here. Yo’ ass been going out too much any fucking way. Let me find out you messing around on me."
The growl in his voice caused a chill to cover Astryd's frame. As she walked into their closet, a frown was on her face. She didn't want to change. Getting dolled up made her feel beautiful though on the inside she felt everything but. The little number she was rocking showcased her long legs and made her breasts sit up lovely. Her hair cascaded down her back in its natural curly state. The light makeup she applied gave her skin a shimmery glow she used to naturally have.
Pouting, she snatched a pair of black jeans down. Tugging the dress over her head, careful not to mess up her face, she tossed it to the ground and slid the jeans on. Huffing, she swiped through her expensive threads that didn't mean a thing to her. They never did. Stumbling across a sleeveless white sheer top that crisscrossed in the front. Astryd removed her tan bra for a black one. Her mother made it very clear the appropriate color undergarments to wear with what type of clothing. She absolutely hated when women wore colored bras with white shirts or colored underwear with white pants. Stepping out of the closet, she ran smack dab into Alonzo who was leaning against the sink.
Licking his lips, he eyed her lustfully. "You getting thick."
Self-consciously, Astryd tugged on the front of her shirt. She didn't even have a reply to that. Alonzo didn't say it as a compliment, though his eyes said otherwise. Astryd knew he was saying it to be condescending.
"This better?" She asked instead.
"Yeah. Where you say y'all was going again?"
She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Honey said it was a surprise. Something about celebrating me getting a slight raise at my job."
Alonzo nodded. "Yeah… aight. You need to text me and let me know where y'all going, who all there and be home by midnight."
"Alonzo," Astryd sighed.
"Alonzo what? You ain't about to stay out all night while I'm in the house. Fuck you think this is?"
"You can go out, it's not like I'm keeping you on a timer the way you—"
SLAP!
The smack to her face came so quickly, Astryd honestly didn't know what hit her. Hastily, Alonzo pushed himself up from the counter and gripped her face in his hands so hard, Astryd whimpered.
"You better watch your mothafuckin' mouth. You my bitch. Not the other way around. Now, what time you gon' have yo’ ass back in this house?" he spat.
"Midnight," Astryd mumbled.
Mushing her hard into the wall, Alonzo glared down at her. "That's what I thought I said."
When he walked out of the bathroom, Astryd blinked back tears and placed a hand against her chest. The fear of him doing much more almost crippled her. A smack to the face was nothing compared to the incident that happened a few weeks ago. The thought of puking on her own now was traumatic. Inhaling, she released a hard breath and stepped up to the counter. Thankfully, the makeup she had on caused for his handprint to not bruise her skin this time around. Grabbing a towel, Astryd dabbed underneath her eyes and applied her nude lip gloss.
Regardless of the bullshit she was going through at home, she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to celebrate life. A life she cherished but gambled with every day. Back in the bedroom, she slid on her leather, dark orange ankle booties. They matched perfectly with her orange snakeskin clutch. Looking at her phone, a text popped up from Honey letting her know she was a few minutes away.
"See you later," she mumbled to Alonzo.
"Come give me a kiss."
Obediently, though she didn't want to, Astryd marched over to his side of the bed. Pecking his lips, he smacked her ass and smirked.
"I’m sorry for putting my hands on you, a’ight.”
Are you? Is what she wanted to say, but instead Astryd just nodded her head.
“Don't have too much fun and remember what the fuck I said."
Astryd gave him a forced smile. "I won't."
Before leaving out, Astryd peeked in on her girls. They were both knocked out early for a Friday night. After placing a kiss on each of their foreheads, she made her way outside. The sounds of Trina blasted in Honey's car and put a smile on Astryd's face when she opened the door and climbed inside.
"Oh. It's one of those nights?" She laughed.
"Yes! You see this outfit bitch? I'm killing you hoes," Honey rapped, putting her car in reverse. "You look fiiine, friend!"
"Thank you, girl. I had on a dress but decided to change at the last minute."
She'd never tell her Alonzo made her change. Astryd and Honey had been best friends for years, but still, she was fearful of letting her in on that part of her life. It wasn't an attribute she was proud of at all.
"That's fine. You'll get in with jeans on," Honey replied.
"Where are we going anyway? You swear it's top secret."
Chuckling, Honey shot her friend a sly grin. "It was because I knew you would probably decline. D'Haven is having a party at the club for his birthday."
Astryd's entire body heated. "W-What. I thought we were celebrating my raise?"
"We are. We're just gonna celebrate with him, too. That's cool, right? We can go somewhere else. I just figured going out to eat would be kind of boring."
Looking out the window, Astryd thought about the text D'Haven had sent her earlier in the week. He had invited her out for his birthday, but she thought he meant that day. But, of course, he was doing it big. It was his first birthday not behind bars in five years; he wasn't just celebrating for one day.
"No, no. That's cool. It's been a while since I've been to the club," she replied.
"Good! I'm ready to get drunk," Honey giggled. "Everyone is going to be there, too."
Astryd's stomach flip-flopped. She was beyond nervous to see D'Haven again, but a part of her was excited as well. She didn't plan to get drunk like Honey planned to do, but she knew she'd definitely need a few drinks to make it through the night. And, that's exactly what she did once they made it to the club.
Club Monarch was packed. From the parking lot to the inside, it was full of people who had either been invited to celebrate with D'Haven or were just there trying to enjoy the night. Either way, the vibe was off the chain.
"Can we go to the bar?"
"We don't need to stand at the bar. D'Haven has bottles in his section," Honey said in her ear.
"Oh, okay. I didn't know."
"Yeah, girl. He wants all his people to just enjoy themselves. No spending money which I'm not complaining about one bit," she laughed.
Making their way to his section, Astryd was approached three times before she could even make it up the steps to their people. That thickness Alonzo didn't appreciate was highly appreciated by the men in the club. And when they finally made it to D'Haven's section, it seemed as if all eyes were on her as well.
"Aye. That's Astryd?" Tech asked, tapping D'Haven twice with the back of his hand.
Lifting up from pouring himself a drink, D'Haven let his eyes scan the area until they landed on her. Astryd was hugging Greigh, and then Lee before embracing their men. Seeing her smile made him grin. When his eyes trailed her frame, he shook his head.
"Damn," he
hissed lowly… appreciatively.
With the number of half-dressed ass women who had approached him since he arrived, it was nice to see her fully clothed and still killing most of the women inside.
"Yeah, that's her. Surprised she came out," he said more to himself.
"You know you bringing the people out," Tech said, drinking from his cup.
They had been on brown all night, and it was still early. Blunts were being passed around D'Haven's homeboys while the ladies sipped from flutes filled with liquor. He wanted to celebrate his freedom and chill in the house, which he did on the day of his birthday, but Tech made him step out tonight. It was the last year of his twenties, and his boy was going to make sure he lived that shit up.
"Cousin," Honey grinned walking over to him. "Happy Birthday!"
Hugging her, D'Haven chuckled. "Thanks, cuz. You know my shit was on Monday, right?"
"And? You get to celebrate all month, hell. Don't start. Look who I brought," she said before leaning closer. "Guess me giving you her number didn't work out so well, huh?"
"Man, watch out," he chuckled. "What's up Pebbles."
Astryd smiled softly though she wanted to grin wide at the pet name. "Hey. Happy birthday.," she said stepping closer to him.
D'Haven hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear, "You get my text?"
"Um, yeah. I forgot to reply."
That was a smooth lie. She wanted to reply but didn't have the courage to do so. D'Haven knew it too. Her poker face wasn't shit.
"It's all good. Glad you could come show love. You look good," he complimented, letting his eyes roam her frame.