Chapter 3 #2
“Kids' father slash husband…pregnant.” I repeated her words then looked up and she had her hand extended and on her ring finger was a rock. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t a rock, she had a baby boulder on her finger.
I was so happy for her that I squealed. “Bitch, you married and shit… wait, you’re carrying another one?
” I asked, all of her words raining down into my mind at the same time.
“We just woke up one day and said why wait. We went to the courthouse and got married that morning.” She spoke with such happiness on her face and in her tone.
“I am so happy for you.”
She beamed. “Thank you.”
“So, are you hoping for a boy?”
“Ye—” Her sentence was halted by her clearing her throat and tossing her head in the direction of something behind me.
I didn’t get the chance to turn around because a figure had already approached the table. A figure I didn’t care to see or want to even hear speak stood a few feet away from me.
“What’s up, baby mama?” he greeted, too damn close for comfort.
“Don’t call me that.”
He chuckled. “Damn, that’s where we are now?”
“Yeah exactly, now back up before I forget I’m healed and crack your shit with this plate.”
His fool ass knew to back up. “I feel like we need to talk.”
“Nah, we don’t,” I rebutted, reaching for my cup.
“You got my son, Cay. I don’t see him and neither does my mama. At some point you gotta let that hurt go and grow up. You're probably putting shit in my son’s head and everything.”
And that was it. I splashed the whole cup of tea on him.
Syke always knew how to pull that out. No part of me wanted shit from him.
As a matter of fact, I wanted him to disappear, to stop popping up out of nowhere.
Any time he popped up, it was never really about my son, but instead about his narcissistic ass ways.
He grabbed my arm with one hand and pulled back his other hand like he was about to hit me. That was new.
“Whoa, now. You know that’s not happening, so let her arm go before you fuck up and can’t take it back.” Harlem’s voice had an edge to it that let me know she had been around Kinga too long.
“You’re right.” He let my arm go. “I’ll be seeing you soon, baby mama.”
That irritated my soul but this was my fault. I’d given him the reaction he wanted, now, like the narcissist I knew him to be, he was gonna stick around for a minute.
Days later…
“What’s wrong, shorty? You're looking off.” Rennix asked. I was in my studio preparing the hair for my client who would be pulling up in a little while.
My energy had been off since dealing with Syke the other day and him now taking it upon himself to keep calling my phone.
I just hated that I gave him the reaction he wanted.
It pissed me off so bad that I couldn’t just hit him with my car and get him out of me and my son’s lives for good.
It wasn’t like he ever wanted to be a father to Adonis.
The few times I let him try, he attempted to use my child to hurt me.
I couldn’t and wouldn’t go out like that, because behind my baby, I’d go to war.
“Just irritated. I’ll be okay.” I tried to shake it off. “How long are you at the club tonight?”
His handsome face showed irritation. “Who pissed you off? And don’t fix your face to lie to me and say it’s nothing. You were off last night too when I called.”
I sucked my teeth. “So, my son’s father walked up on me while I was at Willows with Harlem. We exchanged words and I threw a drink on him an?—”
“Did he touch you?”
“He grabbed me, but that was it. Now he keeps calling me. No, I’m not the baby mama trying to keep the kid from him out of some petty shit, but coming in and out of my son's life is a no. Either be his father or move the fuck around, because the last thing I’ll tolerate is a so-called man getting back at me through my baby,” I explained.
“What’s his name?” Rennix asked, eyes serious as hell.
“Why? You don’t know him and it isn’t gonna sol—” I started, but he interrupted.
“Name, Caya.”
I debated within myself for a minute, but ultimately just rattled off his name. “Syke Brown.”
He nodded. “Good look, stop thinking about that shit. You’ll be good, lil thug.”
I just looked at him. Because no matter how many times I told myself to stop overthinking it and ignore Syke, he was on my mind. But the moment Rennix assured me, it was instant.
“I’m coming through tonight. You cooking?” he asked, already knowing the answer to his question before he asked. We’d talked plenty of times and I told him I cooked two times a week…
“Nope, when I finish this client, I’m gonna pick up some takeout and head in. I’m gonna be tired because she wants her shit full, meaning at least five bundles installed on the wig.”
He nodded.
“What are you nodding for ? You don’t even know what I’m talking about… or do you?”
He laughed. “Shit nah, I don’t, but I hear what you saying. You don’t wear wigs, do you?”
I shook my head. “I sweat too much and can’t take not being able to get to my scalp.”
“Exactly. I’on know shit about it except the fact that some of them stank.”
He caught me off guard. “That’s just the unkempt ones.”
“See, I don’t know. I know when I lay in your bed that shit smells like lemons and coconuts.”
“That’s beside the point and don’t be saying it like you’re always in my bed. You’ve only been in my bed twice.”
“Three tonight, and I bet that motherfucking side better smell like me or we got problems.”
“Why would we have problems? You’re just my friend.”
He laughed. “Yeah, from your lips. But I’m the only man lying in your bed or even remotely that close to you.”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling, knowing he meant what he said with his whole chest. Funny enough, this budding friendship consisted of serious heart to heart conversations, a million reassurances, and moments with the potential to go too far, but they never did.
“Keep rolling those big ass eyes, they’re gonna fuck around and get stuck. You gonna mess around and be permanently rolling them.” Then, like a fool, he started rolling his eyes and blinking into the camera.
“And you’re still gonna be around,” I countered through a chuckle.
“I’on know about that, lil thug. You ain’t ’bouta be walking around with me cocked like a thirty-eight.”
Before I could catch myself ,I busted up laughing. He was a straight up fool and said that shit with the straightest of faces. “I cannot stand you, I swear.”
“Stop lying. You know you fuck with me and I guess I’ll keep your cockeyed ass around.”
“Boy bye. Yeen gotta keep me around, because if you don’t, I know a few somebodies who will.”
“Not if they find out you sleep like a bear.”
“I know your Thomas the Train snoring ass ain’t talking,” I countered, knowing exactly how to get him.
That caught him off guard because according to him he wasn’t even aware that he snored.
“Yeah, I almost bought them lil strips for your nose too.”
He was laughing so hard I couldn’t help but join in. Rennix had one of those serious faces that made any smile seem foreign to his features. Just by looking at him one wouldn’t even realize he was the biggest joker of them all. He always looked serious and angry, but the fine type.
“I hope you planned to use them on yourself too, ’cause I ain’t the only one that be in there snoring.”
He and I talked for a while before my client messaged and told me she was downstairs.
I was cool with her being early because I’d be done a little earlier.
I met her downstairs and let her in, taken aback by her appearance.
She was pretty, but everything on her was large.
She had big breasts, a big ass, and even big lips.
When I got her to my suite, I told her where she could sit and began to work. We were about fifteen minutes in before she started talking and her accent threw me. It was a powdery, Valley Girl type of accent.
“Has anybody ever told you that you have a tight ass figure, sis,” she complimented, popping her gum.
I smiled politely. “Thank you.”
“It’s all you?”
I nodded in the mirror as she peered at me.
“You know if you wanna make some real money, I could get you into this new club I work at.”
I had to stop my eyes from ballooning because excuse me. I bit my tongue and offered a confused expression. “Huh?
“I work at Donuts. It’s hot and all the ballers be in there, like all of them. They pay for it. Like for real.”
“Ohh.” That wasn’t my cup of tea, but I’d let her keep talking.
“Yeah. Shit, even the owner. That’s all me right there though. I’m in that man’s face twenty-four-seven. Dick be down my throat more than the shit I’m supposed to be eating. He’s wrapped around my finger.” She held her pinky finger up. “I could definitely get you hired if you looking.”
I forced a smile and shook my head. “Nah, I’m good.
This is more my speed.” It bothered me to hear her speak on Rennix like he was her man or something, but each time I felt my pressure rising I had to remind myself he wasn’t my man, that he was nobody’s man.
He was just my friend and my best bet was to check my emotions and keep it that way before I got my feelings hurt.
For the remainder of her appointment I was a champ, allowing her to continue making small talk and glad she didn’t bring up Rennix or the club anymore.
I needed her not to for my own mental sanity.