13. Chapter Thirteen
13
Chapter Thirteen
Buck
A fter going to the doctor with Goldie, I can’t even lie and say that I didn’t feel a way about seeing and hearing the baby. It’s like I felt an instant connection with it, and I wasn’t sure if it was mine or not. Goldie didn’t give me conniving vibes, but I didn’t think Joi would be a conniving hoe either. I left her with her sister so I could head to D.E. for this meeting. I was late, but the shit was out of my control this time.
When I pulled up, I parked and headed upstairs. It felt like déjà vu when I walked in, and my pops glared at me. I ignored him and took my seat. I heard Kilo on the phone, so I knew they would be talking shit to a nigga.
“I’m glad you decided to join us, son,” my pops said with his voice laced with disdain.
“Unless I tell you I’m not coming, I’ll be here. Some shit came up I had to take care of,” I explained.
“Something more important than business?” I heard Kilo say through the speakers.
“Goldie had a doctor’s appointment, so yeah, I’d say that shit was more important than any fuckin’ thing,” I snapped.
“You couldn’t say that?” he shot back.
“Nigga, I can’t say shit when I’ain know.” I was getting mad all over again, thinking about how she kept the shit from me.
“Okay, okay. I get it, but son, the two of you need to get on the same page so you can still be able to handle business accordingly,” my pops stated.
The tension was thick for a minute but Stacks being him, smoothed that shit right on out.
“You niggas done with all that damn whining and shit?” He looked at me. “If so, Buck, you ain’t miss much of shit. We got a meeting with those Thoreau niggas in a few weeks, so we can discuss them supplying the dispensaries. We got a pickup with Dmitri at the end of the week. Everything is good to go on our end. We just need to make sure that these niggas willing to supply the shops. That’s different from buying pounds. That’s more product. They’re already our primary supplier, so the shit should be simple to add on. The biggest issue is making sure that they can supply the demand.” I listened to Stacks and smirked because the lil’ nigga was making me proud. We gave him shit for being the baby, but he was about his business, just like the rest of us.
“Aight, bet. I’ll be ready to go when it’s time. As long as Goldie doesn’t have an appointment,” I affirmed.
“How’s that going?” my pops asked.
Leaning back in my chair, I wiped my hand down my face and exhaled. “It’s going. I got her at the house so I can make sure she’s straight, but she’on say shit. I didn’t know about the appointment until they called from downstairs, saying that her sister was there. That shit had me hot. That’s why I’m late. I went to the appointment with her,” I explained.
“That’s understandable. Just make sure you two communicate. Even though I taught y’all that family is your first priority, you still have business to handle.”
“That’s not my family,” I asserted.
“Whether you want to admit it, son. That’s in fact your family until DNA says otherwise. Treat it as such.”
I stared at my pops for a minute longer before I turned my attention to the phone.
“Aye, nigga. I need to holla at you, so hit me later.”
“Yeah,” was all he said. He probably knew that I found out his lil’ secret.
“We done here?” I stood up. “I gotta get to Vault. We got a fight tonight. Stacks, you coming?”
“Hell yeah,” he responded as he stood. “I got twenty bands on that nigga, Juke.”
“Who the fuck crazy enough to bet against Juke?” Kilo asked.
“Some dumb muthafucka. He thinks because that nigga Boom been boxing longer, he can beat Juke. I’m gone gladly take his money and every other nigga that bet against him,” he boasted.
We both hugged our pops and headed out. Stacks rode his bike while I got in my car. No sooner than I got inside, my phone rang.
“Why you ain’t tell me Goldie was your girl’s sister?” I asked as soon as the call connected.
“Shit was a coincidence.”
“You knew it was her sister when you asked me to hire her ass, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, nigga. It ain’t no fuckin’ coincidence.” I wasn’t mad, I just didn’t like being blindsided.
“What’s the problem? You mad you fucked her and got her pregnant or that she works for you and she’s pregnant?” he quizzed.
“Nah. The problem is that sister of hers and that fly ass fuckin’ mouth she has. Bitch act just like a nigga named Mel.” I frowned, taking a pull from my blunt.
“Watch that shit. She ain’t that bad. She’on know you like that. I didn’t intend on y’all meeting her until I touched down,” he explained.
“Well, look how the fuck that turned out. I thought I was tripping when I first saw the car, but it was dark, so I couldn’t really tell. But when she came to my spot to pick Goldie up and I saw it in the daytime, I knew it was her. Crazy shit is, Goldie didn’t know the shit.” He explained why he kept the shit low, but I already knew his reasoning. That was his business, and the shit had nothing to do with me unless it affected Goldie and my kid.
“Yeah. Just make sure you talk to her ass. I’d hate to hog-tie her ass until you get home.” I was talking shit, but I would mush her lil’ ass if she didn’t calm her hostile ass down.
“Yeah aight. What happened at the appointment, though?”
I filled him in on what the doctor told us and how far along Goldie was. When I told him that Goldie requested the DNA test before I could, he told me it didn’t sound like she wasn’t sure or had anything to hide. I let him know for her sake she better not.
“How you feeling about everything, though?” I took a minute to answer him because I didn’t know how I felt. The shit was foreign as fuck for me.
“Man,” I stressed. “I’on even know. It’s like I’m trying to hype myself up to believe this kid ain’t mine, but deep down I know it is. I’on wanna get close to her for that very reason. We be in that muthafucka just existing when we’re there at the same time. You wanna know what’s crazy, though?”
“What’s that?”
“I’on even wanna fuck these bitches, bruh. I’m legit not thinking about these bitches. I had a chick at the spot a few weeks ago and I couldn’t even do the shit because I knew Goldie was upstairs. That shit fucked my head up. I couldn’t even look at her when I got home.” Saying the shit out loud sounded crazy as fuck.
“You know it’s okay to like her, right?” he chided.
“I’ain say I like her,” I protested.
“You ain’t say you didn’t either.” I could hear the smile in his voice, and it was pissing me off.
“Whatever, nigga. Talk to your girl before she goes missing. I gotta go. Love you, bro.”
“Love your ass too, nigga.”
I pulled to Vault as I hung up with Kilo. It wasn’t packed right now, but I knew the closer it got to showtime, the crowd would show up. I went in through the back entrance as usual and made my way through the building. So far, everything looked straight, but I wouldn’t know for sure until I found Tahra. Going further on the floor, I found her at one of the craps table. She was standing back, watching the game. She usually did that to make sure muthafuckas weren’t cheating.
“Wassup, Tahra? What’s good?” I asked once I approached her.
“Hey, Buck. Everything is good. We’re all set for the fight tonight. Let me know if you want me to shut things down up here.” Usually, when we had big fights, I would shut everything down upstairs so I could have the extra security. Tonight, I already had extra muscle, and my Glock never left my side, so I was worried about shit. Even if I didn’t take these precautions, I wouldn’t be worried.
“Nah, we’ll be straight. Don’t let nobody else in this muthafucka, though, unless they’re coming for the fight,” I ordered.
She nodded in agreement, and I went on about my business. I walked through the crowd once again to make sure shit was on point before I headed back downstairs. By the time I got there, Stacks was there with a few of his homies from the bike yard.
“I hope y’all niggas paid admission.” I grimaced.
“I ain’t paid shit, but I made sure they did. The fuck on somewhere,” he laughed.
I kicked it with my brother until Juke and his crew arrived. I had Mario, the nigga who was over all the fights, escort him to his room until the fight started. This may have been some underground shit, but I made sure the fighters were comfortable.
“Aye, what was up wit’ you and Kilo earlier?” I knew his nosy ass was going to ask about that shit. I was gone tell him, just not in front of our pops because it wasn’t my business to tell.
“How about Kilo’s girl and Goldie sisters,” I stated.
Shock flashed through Stacks’ eyes before it was replaced with pure amusement.
“Ain’t this some shit. How the fuck y’all end up fuckin’ wit’ sisters?” he smirked. “They ain’t got another one I can take down?”
“Fuck outta here.” I laughed. “Nah, it’s only the two of them and a bad ass little brother from what I know. Their mama fine as a muthafucka and you like old bitches, so you probably can shoot your shot with her,” I joked.
“Nigga, fuck you.” He laughed. “She fine for real, though?” He smirked.
Ignoring his dumb ass, I called over a waitress and ordered a bottle of Louis and sat back and waited for the fight to start. I had a few bets in myself, and I wasn’t leaving until I collected my money.
***
The fight was about to start in a few minutes, and the small arena was packed. I was seated in my reserved section with Stacks and his homies, passing a few blunts in rotation. The DJ announced that nigga Boom and started playing “What U Gon Do’ by Lil Jon and this goofy ass nigga came out bouncing around like he was in a club. Nigga gone be tired before the fight even starts.
“Goofy ass nigga,” Stacks laughed.
“He can be goofy all he wants but I’m gone get paid off his ass tonight.”
“You bet against Juke?” He frowned.
“Hell nah. I bet on numbers, nigga. How many punches this nigga gone land and how many rounds they go. Nigga shows off too much to be able to last past three rounds, and them shits he throws ain’t sticking. The nigga just big and useless.” Boom thought muthafuckas were intimidated by his size, but he was a bitch. He always hated on Juke so he’s going off pure emotion tonight instead of actual talent.
Once that nigga stopped bouncing around the ring like a damn rabbit, the DJ announced Juke and dropped K. Dot’s ‘TV Off’. The crowd went stupid when Juke appeared with his team behind him. For this nigga to be an underground fighter, he moved like a muthafucka that gets paid millions to do this shit.
“Niggas acting bad, but somebody gotta do it,” the DJ yelled in the mic once Juke made it into the ring. I knew that shit was to taunt Boom, and it worked.
The bell ringed, and the fight started. Just like I predicted, Boom ain’t land half the shit he threw and got knocked out at the beginning of the fourth round. Juke was declared the winner and made me fifty extra bands in the process.
“Maybe next time y’all niggas will remember not to go against the grain.” I laughed as I collected my money.
“You hanging out ’til this shit clears out?” I turned to ask Stacks.
“Yeah,” was all he said before giving his attention back to the chick he had in front of him. Leaving him to his business, I went to chop it up with Juke and pay him before doing my rounds. By the time I was done, most of the patrons were gone. It was still a few in the building since I didn’t close until five in the morning. I wasn’t staying ’round this bitch, though. I was taking my ass the fuck home.
“I’m about to slide,” I told Stacks, who was coming from the back with the chick I saw him with earlier.
“Bet. I’m out, too.”
“Hey, Buck.” I turned to see who had my name rolling off their tongue like they knew me like that. When I turned around, it was a pretty thick ass chocolate chick.
“You know me?” I quizzed, giving her a once over.
“I know enough.” She flirted, running her hand down my chest.
“You’on know shit―” I chuckled, “―because if you did, you would know not to put ya fuckin’ hands on me,” I snarled. “Get the fuck out my face ’fore your shit be in a sling.” I watched as she scrambled off in horror before turning back to Stacks, who had a big stupid ass grin on his face.
“The fuck you grinning for?”
“Since when you run bitches off?”
I waved him off. “Watch out. I’on fuck every hoe I see.”
“Damn near. I get it though. You’on wanna cheat on ya baby mama.” I snapped my head in his direction and pinned him with a nasty glare. “You’on scare me, nigga. Ain’t shit wrong with feeling your baby mama. Shit, she is fine.”
“Watch I break yo’ face.” His only response was to laugh, so I walked off from his dumb ass and left. When I got home, I didn’t hear Goldie. I decided to go take a shower before going to check on her. After I finished my shower, I walked to her room and knocked. I didn’t get an answer, so I let myself in. That’s when I heard her throwing up. Going inside the bathroom, I stood behind her until she finished. She looked at me through the mirror as she brushed her teeth and rinsed out her mouth.
“I thought they gave you something for that shit?”
“They did, but it’s not going to immediately start working.”
I let her pass me and watched as she got back in bed. She looked miserable as fuck and that made me feel like shit because it wasn’t shit I could do. My next move shocked the shit out of both of us, because I got in bed with her and pulled her into my chest and rubbed her stomach. She initially tensed up, but it didn’t last long. I didn’t know if the shit was helping or not, but I figured I could show some kind of emotional support.
Maybe I was falling for my baby mama?