Capri 3.5 (Season Three: Delgato Family: Capri)

5. Brandi

brandi

. . .

“What do you mean you’re going out the country? I’m coming with you, Martin… you cannot keep shutting me out.”

Martin looked at me and laughed while he laid his suits perfectly into the damn suitcase, ignoring me.

“You’ve always shut me out, Brandi. The minute you married me you shut me out… let’s not pretend to want to fight for this marriage because your father scolded you to fall in line.”

“I haven’t even spoken to my father.”

He looked at me with his beady ugly ass eyes, and shrugged. “I have fire after fucking fire on my back with the bullshit Morgan got himself involved in. In order to save my fucking reputation, I need to get ahead of this… and the only way is to fly out to figure it out.”

He was saying a lot of nothing, and I was starting to believe this had nothing to do with the fact that Morgan was a sex obsessed - sociopath who killed Jesse and her fiancé, along with his own nephew.

“You’re lying to me.”

“Oh, and you haven’t been lying to me. I’m not messing with anyone, Martin. I promise nothing will come out and embarrass you,” he mocked me.

“What are you talking about?”

“The fact that you never got over Quameer, or the fact that you have been fucking his enemy… I don’t know which is worse. I’m not the biggest fan of Quameer, but he has shown me respect since meeting me.”

“Whatever, Martin… I didn’t ask for any of this. I had to break his heart to save my father… ruin my future with him to be with you… you expect me to be over him?”

Martin laughed, his stomach jiggling in the process. I thanked God that he loved dick, and I never had to ride that ride. “You were so in love with him that you decided to fuck his best friend while in college. Then, if that wasn’t enough, continue to speak with his now ex-best friend. Brandi, thank God you have beauty because there’s not a thought behind those damn eyes.”

“Me and Tyshawn just happened.”

“The fact that you know the man’s real name is very telling. Then, you keep Ry from him because you thought she belonged to Tyshawn . Brandi, your life was ruined way before your father decided to shove you with me… Just like you didn’t think I knew that you went to have one last goodbye with Quameer before we got married.”

I gasped as I looked Martin in the eyes and realized that I married a monster. “You’ve always been worried about your reputation. You think anyone would want to work with you if they knew you were a homo?”

“The minute the world finds out my sexual preference is the day that your father will do a perp walk into the federal courthouse, Brandi. Now, I can understand unhappiness, however, we all must do what needs to be done. I have a chance at working with the governor for his presidency candidacy since I was overlooked by him once before. I need to let the world know that I am disgusted with Morgan to save my own ass. You’ll remain married to me until after I get the job, then we’ll divorce and say that we tried to make it work, but my career has taken control, and we want what’s best for our daughter.”

“Our?”

“I raised Ry like my own and have always loved that little girl… don’t pretend that I haven’t loved her. My love for you may be forced, but the love I have for that little girl isn’t.” Martin finished packing while I sat in the corner and watched his gay ass hum a show tune and wiggle his wide childbearing hips while closing his suitcase.

The day my father called me into his home office and told me I had to make a sacrifice for our family was the worst day of my life. I was wearing Quameer’s engagement ring when he told me he ran into Meer, and he told him about our engagement.

I was working my way to finally telling my father about us being engaged. Despite what Meer thought, I really wanted to be his wife and have a life together. I wanted him to give me everything he had promised we would have together.

Everything I hadn’t found since I handed him back his ring. There had been no man, no one night stand that could compare to Quameer Inferno. There was no man that could love me like him either. Meer loved me despite knowing I was selfish and self-centered. He protected me like how a man was supposed to, and I constantly put him down for it.

Was always on his head about being tied to his brother. I mean, come on, Quasim was the head of the Inferno Gods, but that was his big brother. How could I ask him to do something like that?

Despite being close to his brother, he distanced himself from everybody because of me, tried to be everything I needed him to be because I wanted my father to accept him.

None of that worked because my father already had plans for me. Plans that I had no clue about until he was telling me to give the ring back. I remember running out of his office, getting into my car and driving all the way to Philly.

My wheels didn’t stop until I pulled onto S 13th street. A block filled with row houses and across the street from a church. I parallel park across the street and nearly fell out the car to get to the row house with the bright red door.

Tyshawn had been staying with his cousin Rich and his girlfriend. They weren’t rich, but they were more well off than the rest of Ty’s family. I heard his cousin’s girlfriend was an older woman. I knocked on the door, looking at Quameer’s ring on my finger and more tears fell down my eyes as my heart pounded against my chest like my fist was this door.

The door swung open, and Ty stood there with a gun in his hand. When he realized it was me, he put it away and pulled me inside before looking outside and closing the door behind me.

“Brandi, the fuck you doing over here?”

The tears rushed down my face as he held me close to him and wrapped his arms around me. “My…My father told me I have to give Meer his ring back.”

I didn’t know why I came here, or why telling Tyshawn that I had to break my engagement with Quameer would even matter to him. He was sleeping with his best friend’s girlfriend before they stopped being friends. It was clear his ass didn’t care about loyalty.

“Prince Inferno can’t have everything he wants… fuck Meer, Brand… why you so broken up about it.”

“Cause I fucking love him, Tyshawn!” I shoved him, pissed that he was more amused than hurt for me. “What was I even thinking when I came here… I thought you really cared about me.”

He laughed. “Brandi, I wanted to mark that territory to let Meer know he ain’t the only nigga that could have you… nothing personal, love. I didn’t think you would have caught feelings, and this would continue on as long as it did.”

I stood there in the middle of the living room, shocked by the words that had come out his mouth. Tyshawn made me feel so seen and showed me so much love.

I mean, I got that from Meer, but all we did lately was bicker with each other. He was giving me so much push back on who I needed him to become. This was his fault. Had he listened to me, then I wouldn’t have been told to end the engagement with him.

“Fuck you, Tyshawn!” I shoved him.

He laughed, hysterically, as he fell back a few paces. I watched as he held his stomach and continued to laugh.

“Nah… you wanted to fuck me, and you did, and now you mad. Let lil’ Meer-Meer know that this mark he put on my face was light work compared to the mark I put on his bitch… get the fuck out my face, Brandi.” He shoved me and I fell onto my ass, scurrying off the floor and leaving as quickly as I came.

I remember sitting in that car with full tears and slamming my hands on the steering wheel. It was bad enough that my engagement to Meer had been stolen from me, but now I was pregnant with a baby, and I didn’t know who the father was.

Martin clearing his throat caused me to look up from my hands. “I’ll be out of your hair for a few days… I’m sure you’ll find something to do.”

“Meer won’t allow me to get Ryder,” my voice cracked when I spoke of my daughter.

“Probably a good thing since you have been associating with his enemy.” Martin paused, taking a seat on the end of the bed. “What were you thinking? I saw the footage from the outside cameras… why go see him?”

“I don’t fucking know, Martin… He wrote me and I decided to see what he wanted. I’m not messing with Tyshawn, and I am not setting Meer up. He’s Ry’s father, and my loyalty has to be with him.”

“Yeah. Your loyalty has to be with him… question is if it will,” he snapped his fingers, grabbed his suitcase and rolled it out the room behind him.

When I received a prison email, I saw Tyshawn’s name and debated for three days if I should respond. His email was lighthearted, and he wanted to catch up and reconnect with an old friend. He also wanted to apologize to me in person for the way we ended things the last time we were together.

The last time I saw Tyshawn wasn’t the day that he threw me out his cousin’s house. It was the day he received papers that my daughter wasn’t his. Which meant she was Meer’s baby, and I now had to make things right with him.

Well, Meer forced me to make things right by threatening my family. The minute I got the picture he sent, I knew he would do something to them both because he felt like I was hiding his child from him, and in his defense, I had been hiding her.

I needed to figure my own shit out. My father forced me to end my engagement, Tyshawn tossed me out on my ass, and then I ended up pregnant not knowing who the baby belonged to.

So, the only thing I could do was run. I learned that from my older sister, who always ran when life got tough. I admit, nothing helped by moving away. It only made things harder, and the pain on Meer’s face more vivid.

When he first held Ryder, I could see the pain in his face. A pain that I had caused because I wasn’t honest with him. I didn’t give him the chance to be the father I knew he would be.

When he and Capri approached me outside the house, I wished I could see that pain. That would mean that he gave even an inkling of a shit about me. As I watched how he stared at Capri, it could never compare how he used to look at me.

He was in love with her. Would give his life for her and was going to treat her like a precious gem. I always knew he had a crush on her when we were in college. It was the way he always spoke to her and joked with her, and she joked back with him.

Even after she would have left, I would catch him watching her walk away. When she got a new car, he hyped her up like he bought the shit for her. As if she was his girl and I was some side bitch.

Quameer complimented her like she was the fucking Queen and the rest of us were peasants. I always felt like something went on between them and could never prove it.

Even when I accused Capri once, this bitch had the nerve to tell me that I needed to talk to my man and admit how many dicks I have shoved in my mouth. Everybody got around while in college, and I may have fucked a few football players.

I was in love with Meer, though.

Men were praised for fucking around, but women got called hoes and bitches when we decided to test the field. I always felt bad and promised myself I would be loyal to Meer, and I was until Tyshawn.

I sat in this big house - alone.

My sisters and friends saw this big house, nice neighborhood and all that I had and no one knew how miserable I was. How I shared a bed with a man that would rather watch gay porn in his office before coming into bed with me.

Me and Martin tried to be intimate once and I sucked back six shots and was ready. He was the one that acted repulsed by me.

Me?

He had the nerve to gag and say he couldn’t do it, when I was over here ready to ride his water buffalo shaped ass into next week, and he had the nerve to be repulsed by me.

Go figure.

Martin swore he knew so much, but didn’t know that I had been fucking Morgan for the past year.

Ever since he brought me to that stupid black tie gala, and I reconnected with Jesse, me and Morgan had been glued together like oranges to a banana. We bumped into each other in the hallway at the gala, and he was flirting with me heavily.

I mean, this man couldn’t deny the fact that he was flirting with me so openly. It wasn’t like he came with anyone, and we were the only two in the hallway. I craved a man telling me that I looked good, and that I was beautiful. A woman needed that every once in a while. A small reminder that I still had it, and Martin was terrible at it.

All I got was a you look great.

It wasn’t even the words, it was the tone he said it in, like he was complimenting an old friend at a high school reunion. As if he was making small talk with me.

When Vincent complimented me, I could tell he meant every single word. I did look good, and for being a mom, I needed that reassurance sometimes. Not even Meer complimented me.

I would do my makeup and wear an extra ass outfit whenever I knew he was coming to pick up Ryder, and he wouldn’t pay me any attention. I prayed it was a facade he was putting on and it would slip, and I would see that he thought I looked good, but it never did.

The asshole didn’t even notice when I dyed my hair. He continued on like everything was normal while I had honey blonde hair, and not my natural dark chocolate.

It took Ryder to say something before he noticed and even then, he asked was I going through something?

I was, but that’s not the concern or compliment I was fishing for. Quameer Inferno didn’t give a damn about me anymore. He didn’t give a damn about what I did or who I did it with, and I think that hurt more than him not noticing my hair.

Only because when Meer was in love, he would notice everything about you. Nothing would or could ever slip when Meer loved you. Vincent noticed all of that, and it made me feel nice for once.

He invited me to a private lunch without Martin, and I accepted. I knew what I was walking into, and I went anyway. We had the most delicious lunch and conversation. I had forgotten how it felt for a man to flirt and make you feel desired again.

After lunch, we went into his library where he showed me different collector books that he had. He never removed them from the shelves, just showed me them and told me how protective he was of them.

We sat and had drinks in there until he made the first move, and my body craved his touch. Vincent Morgan fucked me very well in that library and since then we had a standing appointment every Friday.

Dinner followed by drinks and ending the night with dick. Martin was never home to see me tip toeing into our home with a pussy filled with Morgan’s semen.

Me and Morgan’s relationship was strictly about the sex. The money he kicked my way to shop never hurt either. The money was nice, but I was lonely.

I never thought I would ever say I looked forward to his company more than his money. Don’t get me wrong, Morgan had creep tendencies. The feeling of being fucked and paid attention outweighed all of that.

I lost my love because I couldn’t keep my shit right, and now I had to watch him do everything with Capri.

Every time I saw her, she was glowing, and Meer couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Listening to her sucking him off in Chicago had me ready to jump off the balcony.

Hearing him fuck the shit out of her and talk her through her orgasm had me on the other side of the door turned on. It wasn’t that he was loud where Ryder could hear, I happened to be grabbing water in the middle of the night and I could hear the slap of Capri’s ass while she cooed, as he talked her through it.

I sat on the other end of that door listening to them before her little friend came in from her date with Quasim, and I had to run to the kitchen and pretend I was grabbing more water.

As she went into the den, I stared at that door, jealous of what was going down behind those closed doors. I sat in the kitchen at the counter sipping wine because my feet wouldn’t allow me to leave, and the water wasn’t strong enough.

When the door finally opened, I watched as Meer came out the room in a pair of sweat shorts and no shirt, exposing the burn on his side. His locs hung loose and he looked up when he noticed me in the kitchen.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked, barely giving me any attention as he went into the fridge and pulled out sparkling water, and the leftovers from dinner.

“Not really. Your daughter sure knows how to snore, and then wants to share the twin bed, when she has her own.”

He laughed. “She always has to be touching someone when she’s asleep.”

I watched as he plated the pasta onto the plate. “Gets that from you. You always have to touch someone when you’re sleep.”

He looked up and smirked. “Guess she do.”

“I guess you have that now with Capri, huh?” I sighed and leaned back in the chair and watched him.

“Damn right… pull her right onto me whenever I need to feel her.” When Quameer spoke, you would assume he was trying to make me jealous, but he wasn’t.

He didn’t even look up as the words left his mouth. Meer really loved Capri, and she was in love with him. “Excited to be a father again?”

“I am.”

“Meer, I don’t want things to change for Ryder too much. A new baby will change things, and I don’t think she’s ready for that change.”

“Nah. You aren’t ready for that change, Brandi. Be honest, it’s just us here. You’re not ready to witness that change, see me become the married one with a new family. It was fine when I was your single baby father, but now shit is different because you see me engaged with a baby on the way. So, let’s say the hard truths, Brandi. It’s hard for you to see me with someone else… that someone being Capri.”

“You always told me that I was being dramatic or blowing it out of proportion.”

“And you were. Did I think she was sexy? Hell yeah… have I ever done the shit you were accusing when me and you were together… nah.” He turned and put the food into the microwave.

“And when we weren’t together?”

“You don’t get that privilege to know because you’re not my woman anymore. Feel me?”

“So, you were fucking her?”

“Whether you want to believe it or not, me and Capri were friends before anything. When Ryder met her, we were friends… I did shit right when it came to her, and because of that we good. You don’t have to like her, but you’re going to respect my future wife. She’s been quiet, but Brandi… I saw her hang out of a whip and let that shit go… tread lightly, because Capri Delgato in college isn’t the same Capri that’s in that room.” He took a large ass gulp of water.

“Meer Cat, I need more parmesan—” she paused when she realized I was out here.

She wore his shirt, which was oversized, and her hair looked like she had gotten the best dick of her life. Hell, her face and the passion marks on her neck told it all.

“Hey Capri… guess we’re all getting a late-night snack.”

She offered me a fake smile. “Guess so.”

Meer pulled her close to him and kissed her neck, as if his ass hadn’t kissed her a million times, even leaving marks.

I returned to my room that night and stared up at the ceiling with Ryder’s foot on the side of my face, wondering how did this become my life? If people ever wondered if karma was real, then they needed to evaluate my life because it was very much real.