Chapter 23 Kay’Lo Mensah
Drahma Town
Hours later…
It had only been hours since I was finally set free from all the bullshit, and a nigga was back outside, posted in the VIP like the last couple months ain’t even happen.
At the same time, I felt that shit sittin’ different, ’cause I knew exactly what I just walked away from, and how close they came to tryna bury me in it.
The section was loud as hell with music hittin’ hard. Bottles was lined up across the table, and weed everywhere like we ain’t give a fuck about no rules. My niggas was turnt like it was they case that just got thrown out instead of mine.
I was laid back in that black leather, shirt open, chains hangin’, watch catchin’ every light that hit the section, and I already knew I looked how a nigga supposed to look after beatin’ some shit like that.
I smelled good. I felt good. More than anything, I was finally able to just sit here without somethin’ hangin’ over my head.
Pressure was drunk as a muthafucka, and that nigga was actin’ like he needed a trophy or some shit.
“I’m just sayin’, bruh,” he kept goin’, standin’ halfway up with his drink in his hand, slurrin’ just a lil’ but still loud as hell. “They tried to do my cousin dirty, and look how that shit played out. That’s what happen when you play with us.”
Renza was already cryin’ laughin’, leanin’ forward like he couldn’t even hold himself up. “Man, sit yo’ emotional ass down before you spill that drink.”
“I ain’t emotional,” Pressure shot back, pointin’ at him. “I’m celebratin’.”
“You been celebratin’ since the first bottle,” Blaqson muttered, cool as ever while he poured himself another drink like none of this shit was new to him.
I shook my head, laughin’ while I reached for the blunt. “Let that nigga rock. He earned it too, I guess.”
“Exactly,” Pressure said, noddin’ like I just proved his point. “I been stressed too.”
“Man, you ain’t had shit on the line,” Renza said, lookin’ at him.
“That’s my cousin, nigga. That’s my life on the line too,” he shot back, dead serious for half a second before he started smilin’ again.
That shit had me laughin’, and I leaned back, takin’ a slow pull from the blunt while the music kept thumpin’ through the section, and the energy stayed loud, reckless, and exactly how I needed it.
Kelli was sittin’ on the other side, chillin’ like he always do with a drink in his hand, watchin’ everything without lookin’ like he was watchin’ shit. Renza kept cuttin’ his eyes at him like he was waitin’ on somethin’ to happen.
“You ain’t tired of bein’ borin’?” Renza finally asked, lookin’ at him.
Kelli glanced at him. “What you talkin’ about?”
“You been out here in da Trill for how long now, and I ain’t seen you touch nothin’ but a laptop and a drink,” Renza said, grinnin’. “You ain’t no born-again virgin, is you?”
Kelli smirked, takin’ a sip. “Bro, chill. I ain’t no damn born-again virgin.”
“Man, I ain’t seen no proof that you ain’t,” Renza shot back. “You be actin’ like you allergic to ass.”
That had all of us laughin’.
“I’m just not pressed,” Kelli said, calm as ever.
“Yeah, a’ight,” Renza muttered, still smilin’. “We gon’ fix that tonight.”
Right on cue, like the shit was timed, a group of women walked up into the section, and I ain’t even gon’ lie, they was fine as hell.
They was dark skin, brown skin, all of ‘em put together right, walkin’ in like they already knew they was about to get let in without no problem.
One of ‘em stepped up, lookin’ at all of us. “Y’all mind if we join?”
Me and Pressure looked at each other at the same time, and I swear I already knew what that nigga was thinkin’, ’cause it was the same exact thought sittin’ in my head.
Hell no… but also, we know better.
He leaned a lil’ toward me. “Nigga, don’t say shit.”
“I wasn’t,” I muttered back.
Renza caught it instantly and started laughin’. “Oh yeah, y’all married niggas scared as hell right now.”
“Man, shut the fuck up,” Pressure said under his breath, cuttin’ his eyes at him.
“You answer then,” I told him.
“Hell nah,” Renza said quick. “I like livin’. I ain’t got time for no arguments when I leave here.”
I nodded toward Blaqson and Kelli. “That’s on them.”
Blaqson ain’t hesitate. “Hell yeah.”
Kelli nodded once like it was regular.
“A’ight then,” I said, lookin’ back at them. “They said y’all good.”
They smiled and slid in, fillin’ the section quick, and one of ‘em sat right next to Kelli.
I watched that nigga out the corner of my eye, curious to see what he was gon’ do.
He looked at her, calm, then leaned in just enough. “You want somethin’ to drink?”
I smirked to myself, ’cause… finally.
One of the girls sat next to me, close enough that I could feel what she was tryna do without her sayin’ shit, but I ain’t even let it get started.
I lifted my hand and flashed my ring, not sayin’ a word.
She looked down at it, then back at me, and smiled like she respected it.
Renza lost his mind.
That nigga leaned back, laughin’ loud as hell. “Oh yeah, you learned for real this time.”
I shook my head, smilin’. “Man, shut up.”
“Nah, I’m serious,” he kept goin’. “Just straight to the ring like you ain’t fuckin’ your life up again.”
“Exactly,” I said, takin’ another sip. “I’m not.”
He laughed again, then looked at Pressure. “You better show yours too, nigga.”
Pressure looked at him like he was tired of his shit. “Man, the way Renni be on yo’ ass, I wouldn’t be surprised if she outside right now watchin’ yo’ bitch ass through the window.”
That shit took me out. I bent forward, laughin’ while Renza threw his middle finger up at him. “Man, fuck you.”
The women stayed, but it wasn’t even on no extra shit. It was just energy, drinks, music, and everybody vibin’ how they was supposed to.
Kelli was actually talkin’ now, low and smooth with the one beside him, and I ain’t even gon’ lie, I respected it ’cause that nigga been locked in on business since he touched down.
Blaqson had his side entertained, and me and Pressure was right back to smokin’ and drinkin’, passin’ the blunt back and forth while the night kept movin’.
I leaned back deeper into the seat and let the liquor settle right. The music was hittin’, my niggas was good, and for once, my mind wasn’t weighed down by nothin’.
I thought about goin’ home to Toni, and I thought about my daughter laid up, sleepin’ soft like she was supposed to be.
That alone had me sittin’ here a lil’ different.
I took another drink and looked around at my niggas, at the section and at everything we had goin’ on.
“Yeah…” I muttered low.
Pressure glanced at me. “What?”
I lifted my glass, smirkin’ a lil’ wider.
“A nigga really beat that shit… and came right back outside like nothin’ ever happened.”
He grinned and lifted his bottle. “That’s ’cause you Him.”
Renza leaned in, still smilin’. “Nah… that’s ’cause we don’t lose.”
And I ain’t even argue that, ‘cause sittin’ right here in this moment, with a drink in my hand, my name clean, my family good, and my brothers beside me… it damn sure felt like we didn’t.
The night was slowin’ down, and I was still in the section, leaned back with a drink in my hand while the music ain’t hit as hard as it did earlier and the energy started settlin’ into somethin’ calmer.
The bottles that was full when we first got here was damn near empty now. The smoke in the air wasn’t as thick, and the women that had been movin’ through the section had already cleared out.
It was just me, Pressure, Renza, Blaqson, and Kelli again.
That alone felt better than anything else, ’cause as much as we had fun, I ain’t never really been the type to be sittin’ around a bunch of random hoes like that. I liked my peace, and I damn sure liked knowin’ what I had at home.
Pressure was sittin’ across from me, but his whole vibe changed without nobody sayin’ nothin’. The nigga was starin’ down at his phone like whatever he was lookin’ at just pissed him off or threw him off, and the way his jaw was tight, I already knew it wasn’t no regular message.
Renza caught it too.
“What’s wrong wit’ you?” he asked, leanin’ forward, lookin’ at him like he already expected some bullshit.
Pressure exhaled through his nose, shakin’ his head before he finally looked up. “Man… Prestyn done broke one of them vases down the hall.”
I snorted low, already knowin’ where that was goin’.
“And?” Renza asked.
“And while Pluto was cleanin’ it up, she stepped in the glass and cut her foot,” Pressure added, irritation sittin’ all in his tone like he ain’t know what he was more mad at.
Renza blinked at him, then looked up like he was countin’ the time in his head. “Nigga… it’s almost two in the mornin’. Why the fuck he still up?”
“’Cause he don’t give a fuck about shit we tell him,” Pressure shot back. “That’s why.”
I leaned back deeper in the seat, smilin’ to myself. “What Pluto do?”
Pressure rolled his eyes. “Man, she whooped his ass.”
That had me laughin’ low.
“You really be lettin’ her whoop them kids like that?” I asked, lookin’ at him.
“I don’t like the shit,” he said quick, sittin’ up a lil’. “But Pluto don’t play that shit. She ain’t one of them mamas that just be talkin’. When she say stop, she mean that shit.”
Renza shook his head slow, like he was thinkin’ too hard about it. “I ain’t gon’ lie… that lil’ nigga might be on the spectrum.”
Pressure turned his head so fast it almost looked like he was about to throw somethin’. “Dawg, shut the fuck up, and watch how you speak on my kids.”
“I’m serious,” Renza said, his hands comin’ up like he was standin’ on that shit. “Ain’t no way he just up at two in the mornin’ breakin’ vases for fun.”
“He a kid,” Pressure snapped. “Kids do dumb shit, nigga.”
Renza looked over at me then, noddin’ like he was connectin’ dots that ain’t need to be connected. “Nah… he might got that shit Kay’Lo got.”
“Man, go to hell,” I said, shakin’ my head.
Pressure rubbed his face, clearly over the conversation, then picked up his drink and finished the rest of it in one go. “Man, I need to get home anyway,” he muttered.
I pulled my phone out and glanced at the time, and soon as I saw it was pushin’ two, I already knew I needed to do the same.
“Yeah, I’m finna head out too,” I said, standin’ up and stretchin’. “I ain’t got no business still bein’ out this late no more.”
Renza smirked. “Oh yeah, you domesticated now.”
“Go ’head nigga,” I said, grabbin’ him up in a quick hug anyway. “I’ll get up wit’ you later.”
I did the same with Blaqson, then Kelli, and that nigga gave me a firm handshake like always, noddin’ once like he already knew what it was.
“Be safe,” he said.
“Always,” I replied.
Me and Pressure made our way out the section together, movin’ through the club while it was still lit but not how it was earlier, and once we stepped outside, that cool air hit different after all that smoke and liquor.
We walked a few steps before Pressure reached over and grabbed me, pullin’ me into a hug that was heavier than the usual shit we did.
“I’m proud of you, bruh,” he said low. “For real. I love you to death.”
I hugged him back just as tight. “I love you too, nigga.”
We held that for a second, then pulled back, and he nodded like he ain’t have to say nothin’ else.
We split off after that, headin’ to our cars, and once I got in mine, I ain’t waste no time. I pulled off and headed straight home, my mind already shiftin’ from the club to Toni and my baby.
By the time I got to the crib, everything was quiet.
I moved through the house without rushin’, headin’ straight upstairs, and when I stepped into my room, the sight in front of me made me pause for a second without even thinkin’ about it.
Toni was laid on her side, lookin’ soft as hell, with My’Love right beside her, latched on her breast and eatin’ like she ain’t have a care in the world.
That shit grounded me instantly.
I walked over to the bed slow and leaned down, pressin’ a kiss to the side of Toni’s face, and she shifted just enough to let me know she was up without even sayin’ nothin’.
Then I looked down at my baby.
My’Love was laid on her side, suckin’ from Toni’s breast like she was in her own lil’ world, and I couldn’t even help the smile that came over my face.
I leaned down and kissed Toni’s other breast real light. “I want some,” I muttered.
She shook her head without even lookin’ at me. “If you drink this girl food, she gon’ lose her damn mind.”
I let out a low laugh. “She gotta learn how to share.”
“She ain’t sharin’ shit,” Toni murmured back, smilin’.
I kissed her again, then straightened up and headed to the bathroom, needin’ to wash the night off me before I climbed in bed with my babies.
I stripped out my clothes, stepped into the shower, and let the water run over me while the smell of liquor and smoke washed off. After that, I brushed my teeth, makin’ sure I ain’t come back to my wife with none of that club shit still sittin’ on me.
Once I was done, I threw on my underwear and made my way back into the room, slidin’ into the bed behind Toni and pullin’ her into me.
I was just gettin’ comfortable, ready to be all on her, when My’Love heard my voice again. And just like that, she started cryin’.
I smiled to myself, already knowin’ what time it was.
I slipped out the bed and moved around to my side, leanin’ down and scoopin’ her up.
“A’ight, a’ight,” I murmured, pressin’ kisses all over her face, her cheeks, her lips, under her neck, and she settled down almost instantly.
Toni rolled her eyes. “See? That’s what I be talkin’ about ’Lo. She hear yo’ damn voice and act all crazy. She spoiled as hell. You need to break her out that shit.”
I smirked, still kissin’ on my baby. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to be breakin’ her out of.”
“That,” Toni said, pointin’ at me. “That shit right there.”
I laughed low, shakin’ my head while My’Love melted in my arms like she couldn’t help herself.
After a minute, she drifted off to sleep. I got out the bed and eased her down into her bassinet, makin’ sure she was settled before I stepped back. Then I got back in the bed and pulled Toni close again, holdin’ her tighter this time.
She turned into me, her hand comin’ up to my face while she looked at me like I was still right there in front of that judge.
“I love you so much,” she whispered.
I kissed her cheek, then along her jaw, her lips, then under her neck, lettin’ it linger there for a second before I spoke.
“I love you too, mommy.”
And lyin’ there with her in my arms, my daughter sleepin’ right beside us, and nothin’ hangin’ over my head no more, I knew one thing for sure…
I was done playin’ with what I had.
This time, I was givin’ my wife everything.