Desperately
“Khy, turn that game off and come on,” Jakia called out, moving past his bedroom.
“Putting my chain on,” he said.
“Hey, TT, baby. You ready?” Jakia scooped Carmell up from his walker.
The TV was entertaining him while Jakia got herself together.
Fatima had come over the night before and helped her with her hair.
She wanted so badly to come to the party, but Jakia refused to drag her into it.
What was mild at the moment would soon be a fire and she didn’t have to be in the middle of it to know it was coming.
Khyell sucked his teeth when he saw Twon’s whip. “He coming?”
“No, he’s just dropping us off,” Jakia reasoned.
“Why you can’t drive?”
“Why you in grown folk business?”
“I’m just saying. My TT don’t like people knowing where she live.”
Jakia bit her tongue to not tell Khy that she didn’t give a fuck about what his TT wanted.
Tina was only a part of their world because of Khyell’s attachment to her.
Once it came out that Carmell wasn’t a Turner, all this playing nice shit, was dead.
Jakia couldn’t wait for the moment Tina showed Khyell her street side.
Then, she wouldn’t have to deal with her or her pitbull in scrubs, Prissy.
“What she don’t know, won’t hurt her. Get in,” she told him.
Twon opened the door for him like he was a rich man’s professional driver. Jakia slipped Carmell into his car seat, locking him in.
“You look nice,” Twon said as they moved passed one another to get seats.
“Thank you,” she said plainly. “I’m still not fucking you.” He slammed the passenger seat door.
With everyone buckled in, Twon pulled off. Jakia kept the conversation on the direction to Tina’s.
She hadn’t softened up on him yet. Twon bought the car seat in an attempt to win some points with her, but it was the least he could do, if she was going to allow him to drive her around.
He needed to be prepared to take all three of them or pick them up at any time.
Twon claimed he wanted to be right by her side through her pregnancy.
She was going to let him, but at no point would he be sliding that dick up in her pussy.
Twon parked in front of the house. Khyell let himself out, running to Tina’s backyard. Jakia took her time getting Carmell because she didn’t see Henni’s car anywhere. If Tina thought she was coming alone, she thought wrong. Henni jumped at the opportunity.
“There’s Henni,” Jakia took her seatbelt off.
“I’ll get Carmell,” he said, getting out of the car.
“Bitch, you look cute,” Henni said on the other side of the street.
“Had to. You cute, too.”
“Hey, Tina, girl!” Henni hollered, making Jakia turn around.
She was being nosey, standing at the gate of her backyard. Tina rolled her eyes, unlocking the gate.
“Hit me when you ready to go,” Twon said, passing Carmell off to Jakia.
“Henni’s taking us home. Hurry up and dip for this bitch gets over here.”
“Hit me.” Twon jumped into the driver’s seat and stepped on the brakes.
“Aww, your friend is leaving? He was more than welcome to stay.” Henni walked over with her hands on her hips.
“Nah, he got shit to do.”
“That’s unfortunate.” Tina looked both girls up and down. “You look…different. Is that due to my nephew keeping you happy?”
“If you’re asking if I heard from him, that’s none of your business.”
“I was only asking because Prissy’s been to see him. I’ve been myself. The lawyer is in and out of there like she’s his cell buddy. She tells me that your name isn’t even on his visiting list.”
“And for the rest of the day, I suggest you don’t ask me shit you wouldn’t part your lips to ask him. Let’s get this party started ‘cause I have my own shit to do today.”
“Well, you can leave them and come back for them later,” Tina suggested.
“And why would I do that? I don’t trust you motherfuckers,” she said, walking by Tina and into her backyard.
She asked to throw Carmell a party and Jakia were nice enough to agree. She didn’t want it to be confused that they were building some kind of relationship. They weren’t. In Tina’s house, at a church, right in front of Jesus, she wasn’t being phony.
“Bitch, I ain’t ever see nobody go toe to toe with that bitch like that. I wish Key was here to see that shit. She was always worried about Khyell’s attachment to Tina. He was a mama’s boy no doubt, but he was TT’s baby, too.”
Khyell ran around with some kids from the neighborhood. Carmell on the other hand was restricted to a patch of grass that Jakia decided was her space. They were an hour into the party, and she hadn’t cracked a single smile.
“I have the same worries Key had. But I can’t be so scared that he’ll choose Tina that I shut the fuck up. That ain’t helping nobody. Bitches like Tina have to be checked at the door. I’m going to keep talking my shit. When that judge grants me custody I’ma talk it even louder.”
“You ain’t playing is you?” Henni snickered.
“Fuck no. I don’t even want to be here.”
“Not much longer before the truth comes out. Just hold tight, friend. What do you think she’s going to do when she finds out Carmell ain’t Boom’s?”
“Have a fucking temper tantrum,” Jakia mumbled.
Jakia tried to adopt a positive attitude, but it was hard when she felt like everything was wrong.
Tina’s first attempt to get under her skin rocked her so hard that she couldn’t snap out of it.
Seeing Prissy after hearing about her visiting Hussein, she wanted to rip her hair out her head.
It would knock that bitch right off her high horse.
Henni had tried to get her to calm down but to no avail.
The longer she sat around the Turners, the angrier she became.
As Prissy neared Jakia and Henni, Jah let out an audible sigh.
“What the fuck do you want?” Jakia snapped before Prissy had an opportunity to try her.
“If you were going to be a bitch all day, you should’ve just told Tina, no,” Prissy argued.
“I wanted to come and be a bitch.” Jakia shrugged. “The fuck are you going to do about it?”
“I’ma ignore you today because it’s about Carmell. I just wanted to introduce y’all to Nene. Boom’s baby mother. She’s carrying his first and only daughter.” Prissy cheesed. “Nene this is Jakia, the boys’ aunt and that’s Henni, their godmother.”
“Nice to meet you both.” Nisha extended her hand to Jakia.
“Girl, get the fuck away from me before I spit on you.”
Henni screamed from laughter before covering her mouth. Her eyes did the yelling for her. “Yeah,’ Henni shooed her away. “We ain’t interested.”
“Excuse me?” Nisha stepped back, holding her stomach like she needed protection.
“You not fucking excused. You was fucking around with my dead sister’s man and want to introduce yourself to me. Bitch, fuck you, and you better get the fuck away from me for I twerk you like my sister would want me to.”
Jakia had gained the attention of all the party goers.
“Mind y’all business for I put y’all out!” Tina yelled out as she made her way over to the girls. “What’s all the fuss?”
“Aye, wrap this shit up. Let’s cut the cake, sing the shit and give him his gifts. I’m ready to go.”
“Prissy, go get the cake.” Tina rubbed her arm. “Nene go with her. Henni find you something to do.” When Henni stood, Tina sat in her seat. “Khyell looks like Boom’s twin out there, don’t he?”
“We not doing that. Say what you came to say.”
“I was never looking to be friends, but I was hoping we could be cordial. You’re not the only one that loves Carmell. Or Khyell.”
“I’m the only one that loves them despite myself.
I’m not no motherfucking Rashida. I’m not fitna play none of your dumb ass games.
This party ain’t got shit to do with Carmell.
It was all about me meeting that bitch that Boom stuck his dick in.
The only reason I’m still here is because Khyell thinks a party is happening.
Let me tell you something, Tina. I don’t give a fuck about her, you or Prissy. ”
“We got a long road ahead of us. It can be easy or you can be on the outskirts of the boys’ upbringing. Just look at Rashida. You do not want to be my enemy, Jakia.” Tina rolled her tongue around her jaw, pissed.
“And bitch, you don’t want to be mine. So, do your little birthday shit so we can get the fuck on.”
“So, be it. I hope your bite is bigger than your bark because I pack a hard punch, baby,” Tina muttered as Prissy and Nisha walked out with the cake.
“I pack pistols, bitch,” Jakia muttered back, scooping Carmell up and walking him over to the table Prissy placed the cake down at. She dropped him into his walker and stepped back to not be in any celebration pictures.
Tina snickered. “Happy Birthday, to you,” she began singing and everyone joined in.
After cake and ice cream, Khyell sat in the center of the backyard helping Carmell open all of his gifts. Jakia and Henni went back to their seats. She had yet to remove the anger from her face. She tried to get Khyell to take the cake and ice cream to go but he wasn’t ready.
“Don’t curse me out, but for a bitch riding around with her ex, you sure are upset about Prissy visiting Hussein,” Henni told her.
“I’m riding around with the possible father of my child.
He’s offering help and I’m taking it. The other potential baby daddy is behind bars.
He ain’t add me to no visitors list, ain’t sent me no damn letters and ain’t called me.
Yet, the bitch he claims he don’t want is still planning a fucking wedding.
You damn right, I’m pissed and I have every right to be. ”
“You do, but I personally think they’re painting a picture that don’t exist.”