2/Danielle #3
I met Ron about two and a half years ago.
Shop & Save was running a sale on ground chuck and there wasn’t any left in the bin.
I rang the bell for the meat department and Ron came out.
My tongue was hanging out of my mouth. He was fine as all get-out.
Tall, dark, sexy, and a white-toothed smile dripping with charisma.
After he brought out a family pack of meat, he asked for my phone number.
That night he called, and by Friday, we’d gone out on our first date.
It never bothered me that I was twelve years his senior.
Hell, I’d dated men younger than that before.
Cornrows braided straight back, jeans hanging off their butts, long white T-shirts and Timberland boots, there wasn’t anything sexier.
I don’t know why I was attracted to those types of men.
It wasn’t that I liked young dudes. I just had a thing for thugs, preferably one with a job.
As an LPN, I could have dated and probably married a doctor by now.
Instead, I wanted a man like Ron in my life and I was going to do whatever it took to get him back.
“He’s gonna forgive me. He’s gonna forgive me.
” I chanted that over and over as I drove, and by the time I made it into town, I was sure that he would listen to what I said.
After all, Ron loved me as much as I loved him.
We’ve split up before but always managed to work it out.
A smile curled my lips. Yes, everything was going to be okay, I was certain of it.
We had been together two years strong before Portia fucked everything up.
It didn’t matter what anyone said. Ron was one helluva man.
My man. Maybe he didn’t have a legit job and was forever in court for one thing after another.
None of that mattered. I loved him and if, correction, when I got him back I’d stand by my man and tell all of them haters to kiss my ass.
I’m serious, there was just too much time invested in our relationship to just walk away. And that wasn’t happening.
As I headed east on Providence Road, I started planning the rest of the evening.
We definitely needed an entire night of make-up sex.
Hopefully, he would just pack his bag and come back home.
Hmmm. I would have to remember to drop by the store on my way home.
Ron loves getting up in the middle of the night looking for Twinkies.
What my man wanted, my man would get. I even planned to take off tomorrow so we could sleep late and then spend the entire day and night together.
I started smiling and was shaking with excitement as I neared my destination. I was finally going to get Ron back, and this time I wasn’t going to let him go.
I pulled up in front of his mother’s place in the hood and cursed under my breath when I saw his sister Ursula’s raggedy Honda in front of the house.
Damn, that skank always did something to piss me off.
I felt like pulling off and coming back another time.
The only thing stopping me was that I needed to say what I needed to say to Ron as soon as possible so he could start packing his shit and head home with me.
Yep. It was going to take a lot more than Ursula’s big mouth to stand in my way.
I climbed out of my Durango, moved past the unkempt yard littered with beer cans, and knocked on a screen door that was barely hanging off the hinges. As soon as Ursula swung open the door and saw me, she turned up her nose.
“Uh-uh. No, yo skinny ass didn’t just knock on my mama’s door!” she snarled.
I rolled my eyes at her. She got a lot of nerve talking about someone with her big forehead. “Where’s Ron?”
Ursula posted her wide ass in the door. She wore a size twenty-four and was at least four inches shorter than me. “What the hell you need Ron for?”
“ ’Cause I need to talk to him, that’s why.”
She rolled her neck as she spoke. “My brother ain’t got shit to say to you.”
“Ursula, this doesn’t have anything to do wit you. This is between me and yo brother.”
“Guess what? I’m making it my business.” She propped her hand on her waist. “Mama!”
A few seconds later I heard someone dragging their feet across the floor.
“What’s all that noise on my goddamn porch?
” Nita said as she moved to the door. Sponge rollers in her hair.
Dingy-looking housecoat and raggedy slippers she wore every day, even to the grocery store.
As soon as Nita spotted me standing on her porch, she bunched up her squinty eyes. “What yo boney ass want?”
“Nita, I came to talk to Ron.”
“You got a lotta nerve showing up here. He don’t wanna talk to you.”
I glared at one and then the other. “I don’t have time to be fooling with either of yo ghetto asses. I came to speak to Ron!”
“Bitch don’t be on my porch yelling!” his sister screamed.
I noticed the neighbors next door had come out of their house and were standing on the porch listening to the exchange. At least there would be witnesses if anything was about to go down. “Go get your brother and I won’t have to scream.”
Ursula made a show of pulling off her jewelry. “Mama. You would wanna go get the Vaseline.”
I took a step closer and she took a step back. I laughed. Ursula couldn’t fight and knew it. Hell, everyone knew it after she got her ass beat down by the woman her baby daddy was now living with.
Ursula and I started shouting in each other’s face.
Nita got a big kick out of the whole thing and moved out onto the porch, took a seat, and lit up a joint.
By the time I had my fist balled up and was ready to take a swing, Ron came to see what all the commotion was about.
His right arm was in a sling and his face looked like meatloaf.
“Can we talk?” I said between breaths.
He didn’t answer, just opened the screen door and stepped out on the porch. Tears burned at the backs of my eyes. Damn! My brother Kee had done a number on him.
Only moments after Portia told him about Ron, Kee tracked him down in Church’s Chicken parking lot, yanked him out of his car, then beat him with a crowbar. Rumor had it that Ron had been unconscious for three days.
“Can I please talk to you in private?” I asked. I was trying not to smile but was so glad to see him. I wished what happened to him never happened, but I had every intention of making it up to him as soon as we got home. Hmmm, maybe I’ll grill us some steaks.
Ron walked out toward the curb, then turned and lit a cigarette. “All right, talk.”
I glanced over at the porch where his mother and sister were both watching. I glared at them, then turned back toward him. “Can we go somewhere more private?”
“Nope,” he answered as he took a puff. “You either tell me whassup or I’m out.”
Damn, he wasn’t making this easy for me, was he? I turned so my back was facing them. “I know you’re not the father of Portia’s baby.”
Ron tossed a fist in the air so fast, I jumped back, afraid he was trying to swing at me. “I told you from the get-go I ain’t touched that girl.”
“I know, I know, and I’m sooo sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“Are you sorry for yo brother and his boys jumping my ass? That’s what I want to know.” He glared at me.
“Yes, I didn’t mean for any of that to happen.”
He took another puff. “So... if I held you down while my cousin Twin came over and whupped yo ass, we’d be even, right?”
Hell nah! His cousin just got out of jail for attempted murder and was crazy as hell. I glanced over my shoulder at his people and rolled my eyes. “Listen, I’m trying to apologize.”
Ron leaned forward and the muscle at his jaw twitched the way it did anytime he was pissed off.
“And what’s that supposed to solve? You and I were trying to do the damn thang, but you wanted to believe that trick over me even when I swore to you on my daddy’s grave I ain’t touched her mothafuckin’ ass.
” It was quite evident in his face that he couldn’t stand Portia.
“She is my daughter.”
“And I was supposed to be your man.”
I smiled, then put on my seductive voice. “And as far as I’m concerned you’re still my man. What can I do to make it up to you, boo?” Even beat up Ron was fine as hell. I was ready to beg if I had to.
“You betta not forgive her!” Ursula yelled from the porch as she passed the joint back to her mama. I glared at her and wanted so badly to pick up a brick and toss it at her wide forehead. “What you looking at?” she asked.
“You, bitch! Now what?” While I waited for her to respond, I watched a yellow Mustang pull up in front of Nita’s place.
Ron leaned over and gave me the look that I loved so much. “I need to know how sorry you really is.”
I returned my attention to him and took a step forward so our thighs brushed. Damn, he smelled good. “Boo-boo, I’m very, very sorry.”
“You are? Well, check this out. You know what I want you to do?” He leaned in closer. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn he was going to kiss me.
“What, boo?” I asked while licking my lips.
Before I saw it coming, Ron cleared his throat and sent a big wad of spit that landed on my cheek. “You can get the fuck out of my face! That’s what you can do. You lucky I don’t hit women, ’cause I feel like stompin’ yo ass.”
Laughter exploded from the porch.
“Hell naw!” Ursula shrieked.
It was then that a woman with long blond locks climbed out of the Mustang, chuckling like a hyena. “Bae, you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.” Ron tossed out his cigarette butt, then turned on the heels of his white sneakers and climbed into the car.
Spit slid down my cheek. Ursula and Nita screamed with hysterical laughter. The neighbors joined in. I was so embarrassed I climbed into my Durango without saying a word.
When I got home, the house was empty.