5. Royal
Royal
Asha had sucked the skin off my dick. That shit was so good I had to double back last night.
It was like she was auditioning for that number one spot or some shit.
Only one woman I’d been with could get that spot and currently, she was carrying another nigga’s babies.
It had been almost two weeks since I’d seen her or talked to her, and my mind was conflicted.
On one hand, I missed her like crazy. I thought about her all the time.
I constantly went out of my way, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
On the other hand, I didn’t think I could handle being with her while she was pregnant with another nigga’s kids.
This shit was torture. I’d fucked three different women, searching for fulfillment and memory lapse.
I wanted to feel how I did when I was with her, but at the same time, forget that it was her who evoked those feelings.
I was sitting here at the diner with my boys, but my mind was a million miles away, wondering if Aaliyah was caked up with the potential father and if they’d done a DNA test yet.
She messaged me once, asking how I was doing, and then there was silence.
Someone was filling her free time, just like I tried filling mine with other women.
“Nigga, is you cool?”
I looked up from my plate and saw the entire table staring at me. Seven was the one who asked the question.
“I’m cool. Just tired as fuck.”
“You ought to be. I saw your headlights at three this morning,” Mythic said.
“And you was heading to the office at seven? Did you sleep at all?” Crew asked.
“Not really. I gotta slow down on my ho activities.”
Most of them laughed, but Seven’s face remained serious.
I was just hoping he didn’t say shit. If I wanted everybody to know how fucked up I was, I would broadcast the shit myself.
I stood from the table and went to the front to get a box.
I had a full day. The first half was Henderson Ranch and Farms’s business, and the second half was inventory at the liquor store with my dad.
We typically did inventory once a month, and that shit took all day.
I could imagine we would be there late into the night.
especially if Crew didn’t show up to help.
When I got back to the table, I started boxing my food. “I need to get to the liquor store, so I won’t have to be there all fucking night. I’ll holla at y’all niggas later.”
I grabbed the box and my keys and headed to the door. I didn’t miss that Seven was walking out behind me. Hendersons were nosy by nature, but he and Uncle Storm were the nosiest of the nosiest. When I walked out of the door, I turned to him. and asked, “What’s up, man?”
“You tell me. I can tell you ain’t good, and it ain’t got shit to do with being tired as fuck. If you need an update, Aaliyah been chilling. She’s had a couple of people over . . . both women.”
I nodded. Aaliyah lived down the same road they lived on.
I didn’t care about who she’d been with.
I only cared about her not being with me.
That was my call though, and I hated feeling confused with my own thoughts and emotions.
I couldn’t be with her feeling like this, because my petty would kick in the first time we disagreed on something.
I would be quick to throw shit in her face, like I wasn’t a ho-ass nigga.
“Whatever. I’m not worried about who she with.”
I unlocked my dented Escalade and walked to it. I supposed I stared at the hood a little too long, because he asked, “You gon’ get that shit fixed?”
“I ain’t worried about that shit.”
He frowned but didn’t say anything else about it. He stepped closer, and said, “PJ said he’s doing well and to make sure we keep him up to date with the latest fuckery going on in our lives. He said he sick of watching TV.”
I gave him a one-sided smile. “Who relayed the message?”
“Ali.”
I nodded. “Ask him if he ever fucked Aaliyah. She said she didn’t, but I need to hear it from him too.”
That wiped the smile right off Seven’s face. “I’ll relay that through Ali. That shit still bothering you?”
“Not really, but when you brought up his name, that was the first place my mind went to.”
“Why don’t you just be with her?”
“I don’t want to be with her and end up throwing shit in her face about shit I do too. It’s crazy as fuck. My mind is all over the place, and it wants to be mad that she’s pregnant for another nigga. Those babies should have been mine. She should have been mine.”
I was shocked I admitted that shit to him. He was the one who gave me the most shit when I was trying to be with her when I thought the babies were mine.
“I’m taking my anger with myself out on her. I’ve been feeling her for a long time, and not just the sex. That shit is on another level, but it isn’t the whole reason I wanna be with her.”
He nodded. “I know the feeling . . . somewhat. I fell for Iesha before I even had a taste. Now that I’m in a relationship with her, a solid relationship, it’s made me more understanding of relationship shit.”
I nodded. “Have you seen Aaliyah with a man?”
“Naw. That don’t mean she hasn’t met a man somewhere else.”
I nodded.
“Just text her or call her. When y’all were together, I could see how happy you both were. The day of the wedding . . . the way y’all just blocked out the world . . . I get it. Call her, man.”
He patted my shoulder, then went back inside. I got in my ride and mulled over his words. I could reach out to her since the last time we spoke, she reached out to me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Hey, Liyah. I just wanted to check on you. How’s everything?
I backed out of my parking spot and headed to the liquor store, which was only a road before hers.
When I got there, I noticed the place was hopping.
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I was sure Dad didn’t give a fuck.
As long as those bottles were leaving the shelves, he was happy as fuck.
I chuckled as I thought about the big ass Kool-Aid smile he probably had on his face.
Nigga was probably in there dancing and shit.
I grabbed my to-go container and when I got to the door, I could hear Pimp C. I slowly shook my head and made my way inside to see him rocking with a bottle of Grey Goose in his hand. I had to laugh. His ass was so damn predictable.
“Crown Royal! What’s up, playa?”
I laughed again. Whenever I came to the liquor store, he called me Crown Royal.
He said they didn’t name me after the alcohol, but I didn’t believe that shit with as much as he loved Crown.
I was surprised that wasn’t my full name.
Ghetto country asses. I slapped hands with a couple of customers who were grooving right along with him and made my way to the office.
I set my food on the desk, then checked my phone to see if Aaliyah had responded.
Maybe I’d pissed her off, because she hadn’t responded yet. I clicked her contact information and called her. I listened to the phone ring, then go to voicemail. When it beeped, I said, “Hey, Liyah. I just wanted to check on you, baby. I’m sorry for going silent on you. Call me back.”
Instead of focusing on why she wasn’t responding, I sat at the desk and got the computer booted up and ready for inventory.
There was some preliminary shit I needed to do before we even started the process.
We always inventoried the expensive shit first, because it tended to move a lot slower than everything else.
Only Hendersons bought that shit. Every now and then, Mr. Red, Mr. Zayson, or Mr. Legend came through and scooped that shit up.
My dad was the most supported Henderson, besides my aunts at the diner.
Everybody loved Jasper Henderson. He was the life of any party.
He loved to clown and joke around. Plus, he was the damn plug.
I still didn’t know where he was getting his weed from, but everybody hit his ass up for some, even Mr. Legend.
They still had the family smoke sessions on Fridays, and that shit would be lit.
Everybody that came was guaranteed to be high as fuck, whether they were smoking or getting a contact high.
I tried to be there nearly every Friday.
I always left early though because I had shit to get into . . . usually Aaliyah.
My dick hardened at the thought of her hot pussy. The way that shit gripped me every time, felt like it lassoed my damn heart. Aaliyah was passionate like me and loved sex. Growing up in a house like mine, you either loved sex or hated that shit, no in between. Ashanni and I definitely loved it.
Unbeknownst to her, I got in a few fights defending her love for it.
People loved to talk shit about her. Ashanni could be one of the sweetest people in the world unless she was pissed off.
She didn’t tolerate bullshit. Otherwise, she would give someone the LV shoes off her feet. I loved that about her.
Biting the bullet, I decided to text Shani to see if she’d heard from Aaliyah.
Hey, Shani. I hope your day is going good. Have you heard from Aaliyah? She isn’t responding to me.
I opened my box of dirty cabbage and dove in.
The smell had started getting to me. Aunt Chrissy fucked this cabbage all the way up.
It was cabbage, ground beef, shrimp, and sausage.
I didn’t need anything else with it, other than a piece of cornbread, whenever she made it.
I updated a few forms as I ate, waiting to hear from Shani or Aaliyah.
My phone buzzed, and I looked at it to see a message from Shani.
Hey. I’ve been waiting for you to ask, because I’ve wanted to tell you for over a week now.
I was just trying to respect the fact that you were trying to get her out of your system.
She did another DNA test, only to find out that he wasn’t the father either.
I truly think y’all should do another one.
She’s so depressed. She’s been in the house for a week and quit her job.