Chapter 15 Renza Mensah
Trill-Land, Jungle Estate
One week later…
The night was still young, but I was in the crib with these tender ass niggas, sittin’ in the game room like they wasn’t goin’ through some emotional bullshit behind women that had ‘em by the heart and the nuts at the same damn time. I leaned back in the chair with my drink in my hand, watchin’ Pressure shuffle the cards like he was thinkin’ way too hard about life and watchin’ Kay’Lo stare at the table like the cards might start talkin’ back to him if he looked long enough.
I couldn’t help but laugh to myself ‘cause if you woulda told me years ago that these two would be the ones actin’ like this over women, I woulda called you a fuckin’ liar and told you to go touch grass.
Pressure used to be the nigga with the plan, the nigga with the calm face and the heavy moves, and Kay’Lo been unhinged since birth but even his ass usually kept it together better than this. Now look at ‘em.
Pluto and Toni had these niggas in they feelin’s real bad.
I took a sip of my brown and shook my head, smilin’ to myself ‘cause I lowkey loved them for it, even if I was gon’ clown them forever.
Wasn’t nothin’ funnier than seein’ killers turn tender over women who know exactly how to talk to they souls.
Pluto and Toni ain’t even have to raise they voice.
They just look at ‘em a certain way and these niggas start fallin’ apart on the inside.
Pressure tossed a card down and looked up at me like he felt my thoughts. “What you laughin’ at?”
“Man,” I said, draggin’ it out while I leaned forward and picked up my cards, “I’m just thinkin’ how crazy life is. Two rich ass niggas, got the world in they pocket, and both of y’all sittin’ in here actin’ like y’all lost puppies.”
Kay’Lo scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Nigga, shut up.”
I laughed louder this time. “See, that’s what I’m talkin’ about. Soon as a nigga say the truth, here come the aggression.”
Pressure shook his head but I caught the corner of his mouth twitchin’. He knew I wasn’t lyin’.
See, the funny part is they only ever see me from they point of view.
I’m always the one crackin’ jokes, always the one stirrin’ shit, always the one sayin’ what everybody thinkin’ but don’t wanna say out loud.
They never hear what be goin’ on in my head, and if they did, they’d probably tell me I’m a menace to society.
I play my role though, ‘cause somebody gotta keep shit light.
Business been movin’ smooth, too. Me and Pressure been expandin’ the dispensaries, lockin’ down new spots, makin’ sure the weed out here stay top tier and untouched.
On top of that, my other lane been jumpin’ crazy.
When it come to guns, I don’t deal in no regular shit.
I’m talkin’ high grade, military-level toys, the kind of shit you don’t even see unless you got the right connections and the right money.
Niggas ain’t just buy from me. They came to me ‘cause they trusted me.
And the club was comin’. I already had the location scoped, the investors ready, and the vision clear. I wasn’t tryna work for nobody. I was buildin’ my own shit, just like my cousins, and it was about time I stepped out the shadow and let niggas see Renza for real.
My phone buzzed on the table and I ain’t even have to look to know who it was. I smiled before I picked it up.
It was my ol’ lady, Renaissance, better known as Reni.
We was eight months deep and not a single soul outside her circle knew about us. It wasn’t ‘cause I was ashamed or hidin’ her, but ‘cause I protect what matter to me, and I wasn’t tryna have my shit touched by opinions that don’t pay no bills.
I glanced at the screen and read her message.
Where you at?
I typed back quick. At the crib. On my way.
Three dots popped up immediately.
You said that an hour ago.
I chuckled under my breath and shook my head. She always had a lil’ attitude tucked away for me, and I loved that shit more than I should.
Relax, Big Mama, I typed. I’m slidin’ now. On the way formal.
Pressure peeped the grin on my face and raised an eyebrow. “You movin’ real secretive lately.”
I looked up slow and smirked. “I ain’t movin’ secretive. I’m mindin’ my business. Try it sometime, nigga.”
Kay’Lo laughed once and took a drink. Pressure shook his head like he knew better than to push it.
Truth was, Reni was solid as hell. I met her at a club months back when me and Blaqson was out just vibin’. She wasn’t thirsty, wasn’t pressed and wasn’t throwin’ herself at nobody. She was sittin’ back, laughin’ with her friends, thick as hell with that quiet confidence that made a nigga curious.
She had her own everything and drove a Benz coupe, black with white interior, clean as hell.
She lived in a luxury spot by the water with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view that made you breathe different when you woke up.
She owned a beauty supply chain, had her hands in real estate, and was part owner of a hookah lounge that stayed booked out, on some real boss shit.
And her body? Man!
She wasn’t no skinny girl. Reni had meat on her bones the way God intended.
She had thighs that rubbed together when she walked, hips that filled a nigga hands right, and arms with just enough jiggle that made me wanna grab ‘em for no reason.
She had a fupa I loved to lay my palm on like it was mine, and green eyes that looked crazy against her skin.
What made Reni different though, and what really had me locked in with her, wasn’t just how she looked or how she carried herself when we stepped out.
It was the way she showed up for me without me ever havin’ to ask.
Shorty always made sure I was straight, and I don’t mean just in the obvious ways.
If I said I was pullin’ up, she already had shit set up.
Food hot, drinks poured, a blunt rolled, music low and lights just right.
I could come in there quiet as hell and she would peep that shit instantly.
She wouldn’t ask no dumb ass questions, wouldn’t poke at me, but just let me breathe and be me.
She rode a nigga back every time too. Not on some clingy shit, but consistent shit.
If I texted her, she texted back. If I called, she answered.
Wasn’t no days goin’ by where I was wonderin’ what the fuck she was on or who she was entertainin’.
That alone meant more to me than she probably even realized.
In my world, consistency is love, and Reni was solid in that shit.
When I slid over there, I ain’t never have to worry about shit feelin’ off.
She wasn’t pressin’ me about where I been or who I was with.
She trusted me, even when her attitude tried to tell a different story sometimes.
And I respected that, ‘cause trust wasn’t easy to give when you was dealin’ with a nigga like me.
She let me be a man without tryna shrink herself or compete with my life, and at the same time she stood firm in who she was.
Reni ain’t need me, but she chose me, and that shit hit different.
She had her own money, her own schedule, her own shit goin’ on, but still made space for me in a way that felt intentional.
She checked on me when I was busy. She prayed for me without makin’ it weird.
She made sure I ate. Made sure I rested.
She sure I laughed, and when I was movin’ quiet or distant, she ain’t take it personal right away.
She gave me room, then reeled me back in smooth.
That’s why when she be trippin’ talkin’ about I’m hidin’ her, it don’t even be comin’ from insecurity like people would think.
It be comin’ from her feelin’ me too hard and wantin’ to be claimed out loud.
And I get it. I really do. I just move different when it come to shit I actually care about. I protect first, and I explain later.
So yeah, she thick, fine, got green eyes that’ll stop a nigga mid-sentence, and a body I love every inch of, but more than that, she down for me in a way that ain’t loud, messy or conditional. She was my peace, and that’s why I ain’t play about her.
That’s why I was slidin’ to her crib smilin’ to myself, already knowin’ soon as I walked through that door, I was gon’ be exactly where I needed to be.
I told Pressure I had to slide, took one more sip of my drink, and grabbed my keys before they could say shit else.
Soon as I stepped outside, the night air hit different. I got in my black two-seater, matte finish with the chocolate interior, that real nigga luxury shit, and pulled off smooth.
On the way to Reni place, I called her.
She answered on the second ring. “What?”
I laughed. “Damn, you answer the phone like you big mad.”
“‘Cause you be playin’ with me,” she said. “You always on your way.”
“Watch how you talkin’ to me, girl,” I said, grinnin’. “Take some of that bass out yo’ voice.”
She huffed but I could hear the smile creepin’ in.
You need anything?” I asked.
“Nah,” she said. “I just need you to get your ass over here.”
I smiled and bit my bottom lip.
Before I hung up, I said her name. “Renaissance.”
“What?” she asked.
“I love you.”
She ain’t hesitate. “I love you too.”
When the line went dead, I sat back in the seat and exhaled slow. Reni always trippin’ about me hidin’ her, but she wasn’t hid. She was protected from my crazy ass family. And one day, when I was ready to put the world in our business, I was gon’ do it my way.
Until then, I was on my way to my girl, smilin’ to myself, thinkin’ how crazy it was that after all the shit I done seen and survived, this thick, fine ass woman was the one that had me movin’ like this.
Life was funny like that.
SOLé GARDENS
By the time I pulled up to Reni’s spot, a nigga was smilin’ wide as hell. It was that smile that come from knowin’ you about to see somethin’ you like and somebody who don’t play about you even when they attitude be spicy as hell.