19. Makari
Makari
I sat in my car outside of Zina's house debating on whether or not I was staying.
I understood that team stuff came with being connected to Omiri, but after my deep dive on some of these women, I knew this wouldn't be my thing.
I was five seconds from leaving when a text came through that had me grinning.
Tiana: Hoe, stop overthinking and go in.
Me: Um, how do you know what I'm doing?
Tiana: I have your location, friend. I see where you are. Take your ass inside.
Me: I'm not feeling this. If they say some dumb shit, somebody's getting faded.
Tiana: If it's justifiable, drag them hoes and hit me with pull up. I already have your location so I'll be there. Problem solved
Me: I cackled and you know I hate that word. You're not helping me right now.
Tiana: I'm definitely helping and you know it. Get your ass out the car. Kiss my baby for me.
Me: Fine, I'm going but if this goes left and I end up on blogs with a mugshot, I'm coming for you.
Tiana: Smile pretty friend and it won't go left.
Tiana: And you better not let them hoes replace me!!!
Me: Never. You already know what it is
Tiana: Always. And you don't need their approval but they're damn sure going to give you respect.
Me: Love you.
Tiana: Love you more.
Tiana: And if you need an out, text me and I'll call with an emergency
I loved the message, got out, and moved to the back to unbuckle Avi so we could get this over with.
I walked to the door and it opened before I had a chance to ring the bell.
A beautiful, brown-skinned baddie with a short pixie cut that framed her face smiled at me.
She had on thick, black, square glasses and a long sleeveless cotton dress that hugged her curvy body. She was cute and gave off good energy.
"Makari?" She arched her brow and I nodded.
"Hey girl, come in. Ohhh, look at this chunky baby. She's so beautiful." She reached for Avi's hand.
"Come with me." She waved me into the house and I followed her through the beautiful, open-floor plan. The place was bright with a lot of windows giving natural light and the décor was cream and tan.
"It's pretty in here. Feels very zen."
"Thank you. Moses hates it. He says he can't touch anything without feeling like he's going to mess it up. Everyone is outside on the patio. Sarah is going to be with the kids. If you want to let her take Avi you can, but you're welcome to keep her with you. That's completely up to you."
We stepped out onto the deck that was cream and looked like an extension of the house.
It was covered and not far from an infinity pool which made the vibe feel relaxing.
Shiya was there with her daughter Zaya and two other women I didn't know personally but had seen in Shiya's posts when I did a deep dive.
"Okay, girls, our last guest is here. This is Makari." Zina smiled, motioning to me.
Shiya smiled and lifted, coming over to give me a hug. "Hey, girl. Thank you for not bailing," she said quietly then flashed a smile.
"I'm here. Don't know if I'm staying," I said and she laughed.
"Fair enough."
Zina pointed to the set up where there were tiers of beautifully arranged colorful foods. Fruit, cheeses, miniature sweets, and drinks with sliced strawberries on the rims.
"Help yourself to anything you want."
"Thank you."
"Okay, introductions." She beamed. "This is Sabrina. She's dating Samuel Trent and that's Layla, she's with Rodney Jackson."
I smiled at both, taking them in. Sabrina was cute but had a lip thing that made her look awkward.
She looked me up and down then smiled smugly like she wasn't impressed.
I dressed cute in a button-up sundress that looked like a men's business shirt that I paired with sandals but nothing over the top.
Layla was tall and slim with a short blond bob that had bangs.
It was probably a wig but an expensive one because it looked like her hair.
She had on a sheer white dress with a bodysuit under it which looked more appropriate for the club than brunch.
Neither of them looked thrilled about me being here.
"We've heard a lot about you," Sabrina said snidely as I took a seat and adjusted Avi in my lap. But before I could respond, Zina was introducing me to Sarah who joined us.
"Hi, Makari, I'm Sarah. Would you like for me to take her with me so you can enjoy brunch?"
I glanced at Shiya who nodded. "I'm going to let her take Zaya. She's great with them."
Sarah must have noticed my hesitance, so she motioned to the house. "We'll be just over there. You can see us from here and come peek in if you start missing her."
I nodded, kissed Avi's cheeks, and let Sarah take her. She collected Zaya as well, holding them both, one on each hip before she turned to head back into the house.
Zina walked over to the table of drinks and lifted one which she brought to me. "This is just juice, you're still breastfeeding, right?"
I frowned and Shiya spoke up. "I mentioned it just in case. I wasn't sure."
"Yes, just juice is fine." I occasionally drank but since I was driving I decided to play it safe.
"Wait, you're still breastfeeding. How old is your daughter?" Sabrina said with a frown.
"Eight months and I pump but wanted her to have at least a year."
"That's ambitious," Layla said, sharing a look with Sabrina. "Most of us skip that or stop early to make sure we have our freedom and our bodies back."
Of course you do…
"I pump so I have both and it's not really about me. It's about Avi."
"How does that work with whoever keeps her?" Sabrina asked and sipped her mimosa.
"We don't have anyone yet."
"So who keeps her?" Layla looked at me.
“Me and her father.”
Her parents. The fuck?
I heard stories about these women not raising their kids, but damn, was it really that deep.
"So basically you because men don't raise their children. Not our very wealthy men."
"Omiri is very hands on with Avi, so I'm not sure what you mean by our…"
"Hands on, that's cute." Sabrina smiled smugly.
"Sabrina, chill. Why are you worried about what they're doing in their house? Worry about your own," Zina warned.
"I'm just saying, we all know that man's reputation for denying babies left and right and now he's father of the year?"
And this was exactly why I had no interest in being around these hoes…
I opened my mouth to respond but Shiya cut in, "Speaking of reputations, Sabrina, how is your man doing with his little problem? He still accidentally responding to his ex's pussy pictures?"
Sabrina almost choked on her mimosa. "I know you don't believe those fake ass screenshots. That girl made those."
"Right, with his number and dick pics attached." Zina rolled her eyes.
Shiya smirked. "Yep, I'm sure it's completely innocent. Just checking up on her with that new baby they're having. She's what… three months pregnant and y'all have been together for a year and a half?"
She turned to Layla. "And your man just got caught with that Skroll model, right?
The one who posted all the screenshots of how much money he's been sending her through CashMe for pussy pics.
I hope that's fake too, or maybe you might want to get a little wax down there, because it seems that’s what he likes.
I can recommend my girl to you if you need someone. "
I almost sprayed the table with my juice, trying not to laugh. "So anyway, can we focus on some safer topics because neither of you has room to judge a damn thing Makari has going in her life," Zina said, rolling her eyes.
"Since you want to put our shit on blast, how about you let her know the real?
Let's keep it cute. Even if he's playing house now, that can change.
These men have opportunities everywhere.
Women are constantly throwing themselves at them.
Don't think my situation is any different than yours,” Sabrina said, sounding butt hurt.
"True but not every man entertains the opportunity. Just because your man ain't shit, at least not with you, doesn't mean Omiri will be the same. My man doesn't cheat," Zina said.
"Hell, mine either, because he knows I will fuck him up," Shiya said.
"This isn't a one size fits all, boo," Zina added, making Layla and Sabrina both reel in their attitudes. I bit my lip to hold my smile.
"Now how about we focus on lighter topics. Y'all done being shady."
"Nobody being shady, I'm being real."
"Mhm," Shiya said, then turned to me. "How are you feeling about your first season?"
"I'm not really stressing it; so I guess I'm good."
"Wait until those games hit. The worst part is making the travel work," Layla said, deciding to play nice. I could tell she was heavily influenced by Sabrina but also wanted to be accepted by Zina and Shiya.
"I probably won't do all the away games." I had already tried to process balancing my career, Avi, and traveling. That was going to be a lot.
"I go to all of them but it gets expensive," Sabrina said. "But I guess you don't have to worry about that, do you?"
"Damn girl, why you hating so much? You mad because Samuel doesn’t want you traveling with him and got you maxing out your cards." Zina rolled her eyes and Sabrina glared at her.
"Girl, fuck you."
Shiya laughed. "I go to all of them. I'm going to be wherever Dedric is."
"Like I said, opportunities." Sabrina smiled smugly.
"I'm not worried about that. Like I said, he knows better."
Maybe I was crazy but I honestly didn't feel like Omiri would be with other women. Even if that was his choice, I refused to babysit him. Because if he didn't respect me enough to be faithful, I refused to follow him around to make him.
"If I travel, it won't be to make sure he's not with other women. It will be to support him," I said and shrugged.
"Oh honey, that's sweet, but you do realize who he is. This is the NFL, not high school. Support and trust won't make that man faithful. You better be checking his social media and his phone. These hoes are ruthless and don't care about you."