Capone

17. Capri Browne

17

capri browne

I wasn’t a fool.

I knew my husband was cheating on me and although I had no physical proof, I had all the emotional proof that I would ever need. Naheim wore his heart on his sleeve. All that tough bravado shit wasn’t a facade per se, he just wasn’t built like my brothers. They could never wear their hearts on their sleeve.

I don’t think I’d ever seen Capone or Cappadonna shed a tear, and Capone had lost his daughter. I knew he was hurt and felt emotion behind it, but he never allowed anyone to see him cry. With sickle cell, I knew he was constantly in pain, and he took it like a champ. Where I should have been checking in with him, it was the opposite. He never allowed any of us to worry about him, and that always bothered me.

It wasn’t that I wanted my husband to be like my brothers. The reason I fell in love with him was because he wasn’t like my brothers. Naheim had this soft side to him that I loved, and it was what helped me make the decision to marry him. I went to a prestigious law school with plenty of old money men that would graduate and go work in their father’s million-dollar firm. I could have had someone different from Naheim, but I chose him.

So, the fact that I knew his fucking ass was cheating on me, especially when he knew I wasn’t wrapped too damn tight pissed me off. When we met, I may have laughed it off like I was fake crazy and that’s what he took it as. Capone and Cappadonna’s baby sister couldn’t possibly be crazy. She was innocent as they could be.

Meanwhile, I was raised around my ruthless ass brothers and was just the same. Only difference was that I preferred to wear heels when I lost my fucking mind. I’ve witnessed death, and saw my brother play God with his hands. Even with them thinking they kept me far removed from their dealings. I knew what was going on and I had witnessed and heard about the menaces the streets referred to as the Delgato twins.

I needed Naheim to realize that there was only one way out of this marriage with me, and it involved him being lowered into the family plot, while waiting for me to join him later on in life. When I sat on the phone while he was still in prison singing “You Are My Joy” by Faith Evans, I meant that shit.

Naheim gave me everything I could ever want. Still, it wasn’t needed because I was taken care of with or without him. My brothers never allowed me to lift a finger, and Naheim had picked up where they left off.

We lived in a beautiful condo in Weehawken, New Jersey that overlooked the New York skyline. I drove the latest Mercedes and I had every bag or shoe I could imagine. Hell, dick wasn’t even the problem.

Me and Naheim’s sex life was amazing. Despite having a thriving sex life, I knew something was off. I could tell something was different with him, and at first, I suspected it was because of Erin. Maybe seeing his first love had triggered something.

When I met Erin, I could tell she was less interested in her past and more interested in having a future with my brother. I knew something was up, so I needed to spy on him and see if my suspicions were true.

It wasn’t like I had friends that I could ask to come with me to spy on my husband. Erin would have to do, and I needed to get to know her since Capone seemed serious about her. I don’t even think I saw him this serious with the woman he had a child with.

Ella.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes whenever her name was mentioned. Ella used to be my best friend, a woman that I would have done anything for. I would have helped her hide a body if she needed me to. The problem with being a good person and a friend was that you never ended up with people that matched your energy.

I gave until I couldn’t give anymore with that friendship, and Ella was never the friend that I was to her. Tasha’s ass either, they both were terrible friends and had I not been so wrapped up into our friendship I would have saw it earlier.

Now that I was out of that friendship, I felt like a fool for all the shit I allowed. It was clear Ella had her eye on Capone, and I was used to get to him. She didn’t give a fuck about being my friend, which is why it was so easy for her to end our friendship without a care in the world.

Do you know how hard it is to attend family events and see her there? Pretending like I didn’t want to knock her head off her shoulders every time she gave me that fake ass hey . The only reason I kept it cordial was because of my nephew and brother. I didn’t want to make it harder on Capone or make him feel like he had to choose between me and Ella.

Capone wouldn’t even have to think about it, he would push Ella’s ass right on out. She knew I came before her, and that my brother wouldn’t hesitate to let her know. I spared her so much, even with us not being friends. I could have been the villain, but what was the purpose? She would still spend her life trying to get Capone to choose her.

My brother bonded with her over a friendship and quickly realized he had made a mistake crossing the line with her. That was the reason he decided to end things with her. She was more in love with him than he was with her. He loved Ella because she was loyal and the mother of his child. Other than that, he had never been in love with her, and he would never be.

I pulled onto Erin’s block and sent her a text to let her know I was here. Shortly after Erin emerged from the side of the house. I beeped my horn excitedly. It had been a long time since I’ve had a girl’s night out. Between law school and not having any friends, I spent most of my time with Naheim.

He thought I had a bunch of friends and that couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth. I had a few girls that I hung out with that I met in law school, but those bitches weren’t my best friends. They didn’t understand my life, and they would never understand my life. For the sake of a girl’s trip out of town, I pretended so Naheim wouldn’t worry.

He worried that I didn’t have any friends. I spent most of my time in the house studying or keeping to myself. So, maybe I was a little bit excited to be going out with Erin tonight. She seemed cool when we first met and didn’t seem like she was fake. Plus, I needed to feel her out if she and Capone were going to be spending a lot more time together.

“Hey Capri!” she smiled as she climbed up into my truck.

“Hey girly. Thank you so much for making time for me tonight!” I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “You look cute!”

I admired the pink abstract maxi dress she wore. She had her hair spiral curled and pulled away from her face. “After the day I had, I am welcoming a few drinks over conversation.” She buckled her seatbelt and I pulled away from her street.

“Tell me about it. All I have been doing is studying for the bar. The only times you can take it is in July and February, so I’m trying to hurry up and prepare so I can take it.”

“Oh yeah, Capone did mention you just graduated from law school. Congratulations, Capri. That is really big.” She nudged me with her shoulder.

It felt nice to hear it from someone other than my brother and husband. My parents were typical Caribbean parents, so they pushed academics, and being that the twins took their own paths, they put all the pressure onto me. They loved to brag to family back home or friends about me being in law school, but I never heard them congratulate or give me the pat on my shoulder that I needed.

My mother was the hardest on me, which is why our relationship was strained. I handled her with a six-foot pole, popping in when I needed to and going about my way. It was funny because I thought they would be against me marrying Naheim, but they loved him.

I think they loved Naheim more than me. My mother coddled him just like she did her sons. It was the daughter (their only daughter by the way) that got the pressure and short end of the stick.

“Thanks, Erin. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”

She smiled. “Don’t mention it.”

The conversation was light as I navigated the streets to head to our destination. I followed the GPS as we laughed and debated about pop culture. I missed having someone to gossip with about celebrities. These people didn’t know me from a whole in a wall, but I loved to dish tea about people I would never know.

My GPS pinged as we rolled onto a block in the Bronx. Erin looked out the window confused. “Um, are we picking up somebody else?”

I parked a few cars down from the house that I needed to watch. Erin was looking around trying to piece why we were on this random block in the Bronx at night.

“So, I kind of lied.” I smiled.

“About?” Erin dragged her words.

Her brain had to be working double time trying to piece together what was going on. “Naheim is cheating on me.”

“Oh shit. How do you know?”

“I just have a feeling.”

Erin held her hand up. “Wait a minute, we are here for a feeling ?”

“Alright now, don’t get all judgmental on me now.”

“I’m just saying… why are we here on this…” she allowed her words to trail off as she took in the desolate block.

It wasn’t in the best neighborhood and had I not decided to drive my Escalade, we probably really would have stuck out like a sore thumb. It was the reason I pulled into the spot at the top of the block with the perfect view. I could see Naheim’s car parked right in front of the house.

“I know Naheim. I know something is going on with him and I’m determined to find out.”

“And when you do, what is the next step? Are you going to leave him?”

I smiled. “Not exactly. Naheim and I said that we would do this for life, so the only way he’s getting out of this marriage is in a body bag.” I opened the middle compartment, and Erin gasped.

“You’re a lawyer, Capri… why do you have a gun? Look, I’m not going to prison for no damn body,” she quickly copped her plea.

“Lawyer first and a hood bitch immediately after. Relax, we’re not going to shoot anyone. Capone makes me carry one with me whenever I’m alone. It’s perfectly legal,” I reassured her.

She relaxed as she sank back into the seat. “What is the play?”

I smiled widely, tossing myself over the center console and wrapping my arms around her neck. “See, I knew you would be down for my bullshit.”

“Actually, I was bamboozled. I guess I have no choice, plus I want to make sure we both make it home.”

“All we are doing today is watching. I have dinner with him in about an hour, so he should be coming out the house.”

“An hour? What are you going to say when you don’t show up to dinner?”

I shrugged my shoulders because I didn’t care. “It doesn’t matter. I can make up a lie or something.”

“Jesus, Capri.”

“Sorry I’m not the perfect little sister of Capone,” I sulked.

It was hard living up to your brother’s image, especially when it came to our parents. My parents worshipped the ground that Capone walked on. Everyone expected me to be just as perfect as he was, and I was far from that.

“Girl, I don’t care that you aren’t perfect. I just don’t want you pulling that out and shooting your husband.”

I sighed. “I’m not above shooting him, Erin.”

Erin stared at me while waiting for me to laugh and say that it was a joke. “You’re just under a bunch of stress from studying for the bar.”

I wished I could use that as an excuse, but that wasn’t the reason. When it came to my husband, I didn’t play any games. No woman was going to waltz into our life and claim him as hers. I had sacrificed so much to be with this man, and I refused for him to leave.

“There he is.” I whispered, ducking down as if he could see me.

The car was dark, along with outside being nighttime. There was no way he could see me from where he was. “If a woman comes out behind him, promise me that you won’t get crazy.”

I refused to make such a promise because if a woman came jogging down those steps, I was going to lose the last bit of sense I had left. “My baby is so handsome.”

“Capri, focus,” Erin snapped her fingers in my face.

I knew something was going on and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Naheim was fucking around on me, and I felt it. Women had a good sense for things like this and I knew my husband. Women always pretended like they knew their men, but I knew my man.

“Are we supposed to follow him?”

Erin sucked her teeth. “Girl, I don’t know. This was your plan, remember? I was supposed to be sipping lemon drops while eating my weight in food.”

I watched Naheim take something out the trunk and go back into the house. “I promise I will make it up to you. Are you going to be at Capone Jr.’s birthday party?”

“No. I don’t think it’s my place to be there. Your brother doesn’t agree, but I don’t want to make Ella uncomfortable. Meeting her once was uncomfortable enough.”

“You met her?” My head snapped into her direction.

“Yeah. When I stayed the night over your brother’s house. She popped over with the party planners.”

“Oh shit. How did that go?”

“She didn’t acknowledge me, and it was awkward, so yeah.”

“She’s such a bitch.”

“I’m taking it you’re not a big fan of hers.”

“I used to be when she was my best friend.” I hated talking about Ella because the pain was still fresh.

I would have never done her the way she did me, and every day I had to live with that shit. She treated me like I was some random stranger once she got my brother. As if we didn’t have history together. My mother always told me I was more of a friend to her than she was to me, and I brushed it off as my mother being a hater.

She was trying to save me from this heartache that I was currently dealing with. I don’t care what anyone said, friendship breakups hurt more than breaking up with a man. The pain I felt and the healing I had to endure while trying to live life with someone that was still very much alive was cruel. It wasn’t like we could fall out and I never had to see her again. Ella was always invited to every family function, and she was my nephew’s mother.

I had no choice but to be cordial, even though it hurt every time I saw her. How she pretended like I hadn’t dried her tears when the niggas she used to mess with would break her heart. I guess when she got with my brother none of that mattered to her anymore.

“Wait, you were best friends with Ella? Why did you stop being friends?” We had nothing but time to spare until Naheim came out the house, so I put her on to everything that happened between me, Ella, and Tasha. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m sorry, Capri. You didn’t deserve that. Real friends are going to ride for you and not be fucking weird. Oh God, I hate you told me because now I’m gonna look at her funny.”

“It’s cool. I’m over it,” I lied.

“Who knows where this may go with me and your brother? I do know that you are crazy, but I enjoy you, so you are more than welcomed to kick it with me and my cousin. She’s my only friend.” Erin snickered.

“Seriously?”

“It’s hard enough making friends as an adult. You didn’t deserve what happened to you. Actually, me and my cousin are going to Miami because she’s getting surgery… you should come.”

I clapped my hands excited. “Seriously?”

“Yes. I’ll be taking care of her most of the time, but we can do stuff when she’s high off her medicine.”

“I can get Naheim to book us a penthouse suite at our favorite hot—”

“Capri, you don’t need to buy us. I know that was how your friendship dynamic was with Tasha and Ella. Over here… we got coins, too. Not much, but we working with something.” She smiled.

The sound of a car starting pulled us from our sentimental moment. “Oh shit. He left the damn house.”

“Are you going to foll—”

My phone started ringing and I got scared, tossing it over to Erin. “Girl, take this phone… the hell I look like answering it?”

I took the phone from her and connected it to the system. “Hey baby,” I tried to sound normal like I wasn’t just spying on him.

“Muffin, you ready for tonight? I could taste the lobster scampi from our favorite spot.” Naheim sounded excited, and I was nowhere near home. “I got one more stop to make before I’m on my way to get you.”

“Um, about that.” I slowly pulled off the street, making sure to stay a good distance away from him.

“What did I forget?”

“Nothing, babe. I just forgot to tell you that I’m out with the girls tonight. I really needed a girl’s night.” It wasn’t a whole lie.

“Damn, I was looking forward to having dinner with you. Feels like I never get to see you anymore.”

“I know. I’ll make it up to you,” I promised.

Even though I didn’t catch Naheim with anyone tonight , I could feel it in my stomach there was someone else. There was something he was hiding from me.

“Love you, Muffin.”

“Love you, too,” I whispered.

Instead of turning the corner he did, I went the opposite direction. “You made the wrong turn,” Erin quickly told me.

“I know. Let’s go get drinks and talk about how much men suck,” I sulked.

“You didn’t find anything, Capri. Naheim isn’t cheating on you. Why do you sound like you lost your goldfish?”

“Because I know there is something going on and I can feel it, Erin.” I sighed. “Sorry for dragging you into all of this.”

Erin remained quiet. “Well, the next stakeout, can we at least have some snacks?”

I turned to look at her and smiled. “For sure. Now, let’s get some drinks and food… I’m starving.”

Naheim was off the hook for now, but I knew he was hiding something. As much as I played tough, I was grateful I didn’t see something tonight. My heart couldn’t take the betrayal of friends, and then my husband.

Like all things in the dark, they eventually have to slide into the light.