Gently
Tina had been telling her secrets to the bottom of bottles of dark liquor; Hennessy, Paul Masson and whatever else Senior had left around the house.
Jameson became a quick favorite with no one else to talk to.
She didn’t trust anyone but Senior and while he was getting serious with the woman he was seeing, Tina wasn’t interested.
“What you say this bitch name is again?”
“Let’s give her a chance to be a bitch first.” Prissy raised her eyebrows at Tina. “She’s carrying Boom’s baby. A Turner,” she reminded her. “And her name is Nene.”
When Onisha and Prissy discussed the plan, they agreed they’d use a variation of her real name. Prissy had her own lies to keep up with and crossing Tina like this was hard enough. She couldn’t be bothered with remembering an entirely new name. Yet, the name needed to remain ungoogleable.
“Nene is short for what? Who her people?” Tina asked.
“Some rich motherfuckers from Potomac. And I said from meaning they were born and raised there…for generations.” Prissy snickered.
“So, she comes from money,” Tina nodded, “that means she ain’t after mine. You should’ve led with that. How the fuck she meet Boom’s reckless ass?”
“Opposites attract, I guess. We didn’t talk long, but from the little she shared it sounds like the good girl that likes the bad boys.”
“His ass was bad, ard. Bad liar, bad hustler, bad at every fucking thing.” Tina sipped from her glass. “Of all the shit he could’ve told, he chose that. I would’ve had more respect for the nigga if he told on me. Fuck was he harboring hate for Hussein for?”
“So, you found out what he talked about? What is it?” Prissy asked.
“Nothing for you to worry yourself with,” Tina answered, staring at the glass as she pushed it away from her. She was talking too much; a trait she’d always been disgusted with but used to her advantage over others.
“I was just wondering when Hussein would be back home is all. It’s hard trying to lock things in when I don’t have a date to give them.”
“We’ll have the wedding here. Right in the back yard.
The week of his release we’ll know enough to pay for expedited services.
Focus on your dress. And have you let HR know you’re switching shifts?
” Prissy didn’t answer and Tina was jumping down her throat.
“Exactly. You have more important shit to center your attention on.”
A knock at the door saved Prissy from a further lashing.
“That’s her.” Prissy sighed getting up from the table.
When Onisha presented prissy with setting tina up, she was considering leaving town.
Anything would be better than going against Tina.
The more Tina threatened and disrespected, the more setting her up felt necessary.
She’d never get from under her thumb until she was under the jail or under six feet of dirt.
She wasn’t bold enough to do it alone. She’d let Onisha put herself on the front lines but would happily cooperate in the background with whatever she needed. Fuck Tina.
“Nice seeing you again,” Onisha said softly when Prissy opened the door.
“Same. Come in.” Prissy stretched her arm out. “I hope the drive over was easy. You want some water?”
“I’ve had enough. A bathroom would be nice,” Nisha snickered.
“It’s down the hall to the left.” Prissy pointed.
“Where can I put my bags down?”
“Bags?” Tina rushed into the foyer. Her eyes widened when she saw the two duffle bags Nisha was holding.
“Hell nah.” Her neck tilted. “I said I’d have a conversation with the girl not that I’d rehome her. What the fuck is this?”
“Oh,” Nisha’s brows came together, “Prissy said…”
“Prissy, ain’t said shit,” Prissy rushed to defend herself, giving Nisha a knowing glare. “You said you wanted to introduce yourself.”
“Yeah, to see if she minded me and the baby staying here,” she argued with Prissy. “My parents cut me off for getting pregnant by a degenerate.” She looked around. “Their words, not mine. I don’t have anywhere else to go.” Nisha looked at Tina pleading with her eyes.
“Girl, please.” Tina sucked her teeth. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re running but those are Phillip Karto Louis Vuitton Keepalls. And that size bag is damn near five thousand dollars. You can’t rent a room for a few weeks on that?”
“Where? The Marriot?” Onisha asked with her face scrunched up.
“I can assure you that my house can’t compete.”
“Oh, it’s ok.” Nisha rubbed her stomach. “I want my daughter to know her family. The maid comes later in the day?”
“Um,” Prissy slid in front of Tina. “Now might be a good time for you to use the bathroom.”
“Yeah, I’m a sneeze away from soiled panties. And then I need a nap. We can get to know one another when I wake up?” She asked Tina.
“I think we all need a nap,” Tina suggested.
She and Prissy stood together watching Onisha disappear into the bathroom.
“Tina, I’m so sorry. I had no idea she was a fucking lunatic.” Prissy immediately apologized.
“I’m not surprised. Like father like son.
Boom’s daddy had done me the same way which is how I ended up with Rashida being a pain in my ass.
He and his daddy just love to torture me.
I’m going up for a nap, though. This bitch is fitna be exhausting.
” Tina crept up the steps with the glass she wasn’t able to finish earlier.
She couldn’t talk too much in her sleep.
“You can say that again,” Prissy mumbled under her breath. Arms folded across her chest she waited for Onisha to come out of the bathroom.
“Where will I be sleeping?” she asked in her most proper voice seeing Prissy outside of the bathroom.
“In the dirt if you don’t stop playing with that lady,” Prissy warned through gritted teeth.
“I think I did a great job.” Nisha played with her hair in one of the oval mirrors in the hallway.
“What the fuck is up with the bougie girl bullshit?”
“I can’t say I’m from Potomac and then act like the girl from East Baltimore. It’s all a part of the act.”
“Well, you better keep it up because if your mask slips for even just a second, she will notice. Even worse, she will dead your ass before you realize she caught you.”
“How’s she going to do that when her hitta is behind bars. You gotta stop being a scary bitch. She wouldn’t hurt a fucking fly. She’d get a spider to do it.”
Nisha wasn’t scared of Tina in the least bit. And if she was? Her fear couldn’t overwhelm the love she had for Boom. She was going to get his lick back and at the same time make the world a little safer for her daughter.
LEGAL VISITING | 12:45 P.M.
“Took you long enough.” Hussein said as the guard freed his wrists from the cuffs.
“That’s no way to talk to the woman saving your ass. Good afternoon, Hugh. How are you?”
“Who the fuck is Hugh? It’s Hussein. You know that, though.”
“Speak to me with some respect and I will call your name with some respect.” She began looking through documents in the navy file in front of her.
“I’m not scared of you. I don’t need you.
Believe it or not, I make more money from stupid young niggas.
I made time in my schedule to come see you.
I hope you didn’t call me down here to coordinate a sneaky link behind Tina’s back. ”
“I need to see Prissy.”
“Now, that I might be able to do. I’ll see if I can get her next week.”
“Nah, I need to see her today.”
“Oh, I’m not even fitna try with that. It’s too late in the day. Ask for something more realistic. We can try for tomorrow, maybe.”
“It can’t wait.” Hussein argued.
“Well, it’s going to have to.” Nyelle stood from the metal folding chair and began gathering the folders from the table.
“Let visiting hours end without me seeing Prissy and you won’t have to worry about whether I show you respect or not because you’ll be off my case.
Tina might be paying you, but you don’t run shit!
” Hussein’s yelling made Nyelle flinch despite her earlier declaration of being fearless.
“And TT don’t either,” he said calmly. “Don’t freeze now.
You got shit to do. Times running out, Ms. Peters.
Guard!” Hussein called out to be taken back to his cell block.
His cellblock was an understatement for how much control Hussein had in the small space of big men.
Regardless of their height or weight, he was indeed the biggest. The rumored bodies he caught over the years buzzed around the jail to unaware inmates.
45% of those being held in cells had their own badges of murder.
The only difference was that they’d gotten caught.
And there was no honor in bragging on your own bodies.
Some of the niggas played it nonchalant like Hussein was nobody.
Still, they weren’t dumb enough to get in his way.
They kept their distance but stood their ground.
It worked because Hussein wasn’t interested in humbling anyone.
He’d already been in there longer than anticipated.
There was one nigga in there that wanted to extend his stay.
“I’m telling you, all you gotta do is say the word and I’ll dead that nigga right here, my nigga,” Dink said staring at the nigga who always had eyes on Hussein.
“I’m not worried about that bitch.” Hussein stepped into his cell. “Nigga can look all he wants, he know not to step over that line.”
“I’d feel you if you knew that nigga. You said you never seen him a day in your life. So, what’s that nigga’s beef?” Dink stood in the doorway of Hussein’s cell looking around.
“I don’t know but if it’s that’s deep, he’ll come see me ‘bout that shit. Til then, it’s whatever. I got other shit to deal with.”
“What happened with your lawyer? Did she come through for you?”
“She ain’t gon have a choice. My TT ‘gon make her because she wants to stay in my business. I get a new lawyer she won’t know what the fuck is going on. If it’s anything my TT hate, it’s shit moving without her. She gon’ cave.”