11 #3
“What’s wrong? Is it too long? I told you that me and Hank can help foot the bill, so you don’t have to leave nobody out. I told your mama that we don’t mind.”
“No, it’s not that. Look, I’m not trying to be messy or nothing but I’d prefer if Caprice didn’t attend any of our upcoming events. I talked to Fonzo about it, and we agreed that it’s for the best.”
Fonzo was pissed when she told him about the conversation that she had with Caprice at Grandma Leo’s party.
He never really had a problem with her before but he wasn’t feeling the things that she said to his future wife.
She had to talk him out of calling Caprice to curse her out.
It took a lot to make Fonzo upset but coming at her sideways always did it.
Diva stopped and threw her hands up like she was praying. “Yes! Girl, you just made my day.”
“It’s no shade but I’m just too happy to intentionally invite negativity into my space. She never has anything good to say, and I’m over it.”
“I’m so happy that you finally see that bitch for who she really is. Jealous, hating ass hoe makes me sick. Monty won’t care one way or the other.”
“Baby, it’s about to be a wrap on that. My brother and Iva have been talking again.” Clover snapped her fingers and gave Diva a knowing look.
“Yes, finally,” Irie cheered as she and Diva hugged dramatically.
Diva didn’t even try to hide her excitement.
That was the best news that she’d heard in a while aside from her own.
Her mother-in-law’s party seemed to reignite a few flames, including her own.
She and Hank ended up talking for hours that night and decided that it was time for him to come back home.
He swore that he was done with his illegal activities, and she was ready to get her marriage back on track.
He called her that morning and told her that he’d gotten rid of the last of his product and he would be at home when she got back.
“It’s insane that one person’s absence is a reason to celebrate.”
Amina tried to give everybody a chance and she wasn’t a follower.
She still embraced Caprice, even when Diva and Clover stopped.
Now, she understood everything that they tried to warn her about.
Caprice was miserable and she was tired of being her company.
“In the words of Ice Cube, today was a good day. My man is moving back home too.” Diva smiled bashfully.
“What!? I’m so happy! When did this happen and why didn’t you tell me? I tell you everything.” Clover was rambling a mile a minute. She went from asking questions to being upset about being left in the dark.
“Damn, bitch, catch your breath. I wasn’t keeping it a secret. We talked about it when we were in Georgia, but it became official this morning. Our boys don’t even know yet.”
“Aww, they’re gonna be so happy. Fonzo is always saying that he wants y’all to get back together.” Amina didn’t tell Diva, but her son was always saying that he didn’t want them to get divorced. She knew that he was gonna be excited about the news.
“Girl, please. They might not have been under the same roof but they were still together. She can try to fool everybody else but I know her.” Clover gave her mother-in-law a sly glance.
“Girl, you make me sick. You can tell that I raised her ass. She’s nosey as fuck, just like me.”
Diva laughed but it was true. Clover was always more of her daughter than her daughter-in-law. She was feisty like her and had some of the same no-nonsense mannerisms. She was bold and outspoken, just like she was taught to be.
“Okay, I need to run to the bathroom and then we can go. All I have to do now is get me a small bouquet made and I’m good to go. Hold this for me,” Amina said as she handed Diva the bag containing the shoes that she’d just purchased.
She rushed out of the store and to the food court that wasn’t too far away.
She rushed into the bathroom and looked into the available stalls to see which one was cleaner.
Amina hated public restrooms but her bladder seemed to be the only place that her baby loved to sit.
Once she was done in the bathroom, she washed her hands and headed back to the store where she’d come from.
The feeling of being watched had the hairs on the back of her neck standing at attention, but she tried her best to ignore it.
She looked around but there was nothing to see.
That was until she looked in the opposite direction and almost tripped over her own feet.
Amina’s ex was staring right back at her with an annoyed frown covering his face.
A face that she thought she loved and would spend the rest of her life with was the same one that she now despised.
Amina remembered thinking that it was cute when he used to mysteriously pop up on her at various locations. She used to blush when he called her multiple times throughout the day. It was flattering when he wanted to be with her every second of the day, and she attributed it to puppy love.
After a while, it stopped being cute and started getting scary.
She stopped telling him where she was going, but he showed up anyway.
The calls became annoying and being around him was the hardest part of it all.
Ending the relationship only made it worse.
He stalked her for weeks until her parents finally got a restraining order.
To her, it was just a stupid piece of paper that didn’t do much to keep people, especially women, alive.
But, to her parents, it held weight if she ever had to defend herself.
“Amina!”
She heard her name being called but she felt like she was outside of her body. She kept walking until she felt a hand on her shoulder that had her paralyzed with fear.
“No! Stop!” Amina yelled out in fear. She was sweating profusely and her hands were shaking in fear.
“What’s wrong, boo?” Diva withdrew her hand, not wanting to frighten her anymore.
“Are you okay, sis?” Clover asked in concern.
“He’s in here. I just saw him.” Amina was breathing hard like she’d just run a marathon.
“Who? Your ex? Where his bitch ass at?” Diva was looking around, even though she didn’t know who she was looking for.
She knew that something was wrong when Amina passed them up in the store and headed for the exit.
She and Clover called out to her but she seemed to be out of it.
Now, she knew exactly why she was so upset.
“I just need to get out of here, please.”
Amina was holding Diva’s hand tight enough to break it. Fonzo told her all about the panic attacks that she sometimes caught and he told her how to handle it if she ever did. Diva led her to the first chair that they saw and made her sit down.
“Just relax, boo. Close your eyes and take a deep breath,” Diva spoke calmly as she gave her a few instructions. Unlike Clover, she handled Amina with kid gloves. She was more of a sheltered homebody whereas Clover would box it out with a grown ass man if it ever came down to it.
“Here, I got her some water.”
Irie opened the bottle of water that she’d just rushed to the food court to get. Amina drank half the bottle in one gulp before pressing the cold bottle against her forehead. After a while, her breathing regulated and she seemed to be okay.
“Thanks, y’all, I really appreciate it. God, I haven’t felt like that in a long time. I need to go home and relax for a while.”
“I’m good as long as you’re okay. My son would kill me if I didn’t make sure of it. Come on so I can bring you home.” Diva helped Amina stand up right as Clover’s phone rang.
“Hey, girl,” Clover answered on the second ring when she saw Cashmere’s number pop up. She hadn’t seen her in a few days and she was happy that she called.
“Where you at? Some shit just popped off at my husband’s shop involving your cousin. Me and your brother-in-law got her, but I just wanted you to know.”
“What happened? I’m on my way.” Clover made sure that Amina was good before she and Irie left to go see who was trying to get fucked up for playing with her family.