Chapter 11
“Girl, the whole hood think you go with Duke!” Kayla said to Diamond as she came in out the heat.
“The hood thinks a lot of shit, so what.”
Kayla stood there looking at Diamond as if she was waiting on conformation like the rest of the world.
Diamond had always been private, she liked keeping shit to herself, but some things, a girl just had to talk about, and Duke was one.
She got up and closed the door because she didn’t need their father hearing their conversation.
Truth was over the last couple of weeks, she had been texting him, she finally gave in and gave him her number.
The crush that she thought had phased out came right back and she was loving it.
Life was good for the time being, money was rolling in left and right, their father was smiling again, their stomachs were full on the regular, and Duke had her time when she wasn’t handling business.
“I like himmmmm!” Diamond blushed while Kayla smiled the biggest smile.
“I knew it! That’s who you be up all-night texting!”
“Yup, that’s my lil boo.”
Kayla jumped on the bed and folded her legs Indian style, “Y’all did it?”
“Did what?”
Kayla rolled her eyes into her head; Diamond knew exactly what she was asking and the answer was no. They hadn’t even kissed, he was the total opposite of the rude, crazy nigga that he was in the streets.
“Fucked,” Kayla blurted as Diamond shushed her and pointed at the door.
“You did it!?” she continued with excitement in her eyes.
“No. I’m not ready for that shit.”
“How do you know when you’re ready?”
Diamond paused for a second because she had no idea how to answer that question.
“I don’t know, I guess you just feel it and let it happen.”
“You gon’ tell me when you do it?”
“You gon’ tell me when you do it?” Diamond shot back as Kayla shook her head yes. “Good, but that don’t mean go and do it. It’s ok to be a virgin.”
Diamond needed to be taking her own advice because she was finally going out with Duke, and she had no idea how the night was going to end or begin for that matter.
Her father had always been strict, and them moving drugs changed none of that.
She finally got dressed in a light pink, velour halter short set and a fresh pair of white Air Force 1’s.
Her hair fell bone straight pass her shoulders, Diamond was beyond beautiful before, but the money enhanced her.
Rich looked away from the tv and over at Diamond before smiling, he knew his baby was a gem, that’s why he named her after one. His first born, his reason, he trusted Diamond with his life, he loved all his girls, but she was his heart.
“You look nice, Baby girl.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
“You’re welcome, be back by 10:30.”
Diamond frowned a little because she didn’t want Duke to think she was a little girl because he often joked with her about her age.
“Come on, Daddy, I’ll be seventeen in a couple weeks.”
Rich nodded his head, “I know. I just hate to see you grow up. These niggas out here aren’t good enough for you.”
Kayla stood there for a second before walking away, she always felt like he loved Diamond more, but that wasn’t the case.
“I know, but you raised me correctly, no nigga can play me.”
“Damn right, but guys are slick and great talkers.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
“Have fun, eleven o’clock, Diamond.”
“Eleven o’clock,” she repeated with a smile before stepping out into the warm night air.
Duke’s car was parked a few houses down as he talked with a few guys, she decided to walk down and meet him there. Of course, all eyes were on her; they wasn’t used to Diamond dressing and having her hair done, shit neither was she, but she loved the attention.
“Man fuck you niggas, I gotta go,” he laughed and hit the locks on his car.
Diamond climbed inside and sat in the passenger seat like she owned it.
She just knew her name was going to be sliding through the hood heavy.
Her nerves went through the roof when he placed one hand on the steering-wheel and the other on her bare thigh.
No guy had ever touched her, not even a little bit.
She found herself laughing more than usual, he was funny and charming as hell.
Duke didn’t just show her the city, he showed her the parts she didn’t know existed.
The rich part, the part that housed doctors, lawyers, and one day her.
In that moment she was determined to get rich and take care of her family.
“Where are we?” she asked, admiring the huge houses.
“Olympia Fields. My father bought us a house out here before he was killed.”
She unknowingly placed her hand on top of his out of sympathy.
“You ok?”
“I’m cool, dying is a part of living, it’s the only thing in life that we are promised.”
That shit was deep and very true, but she still felt bad for him, she couldn’t imagine losing either of her parents.
The rest of the night was perfect, they made it back to the city and drove from one end of Lakeshore Drive to the next.
The music blasted with the windows down, she laid her head on the door and closed her eyes as her hair blew in the wind.
For the first time ever, she felt alive, free, and visible.
She couldn’t lie, nothing about Duke was like she heard, he was the perfect gentlemen, almost too perfect.
And perfect was something she never trusted… not until that night.
She kept grabbing her phone checking the time: 10:14 PM…10:33 PM…10:47 PM. Her chest tightened a little each time she looked at the screen. Duke noticed and looked over at her.
“Your pops strict, huh?”
Diamond sighed before nodding, “More like serious. I have to be home by eleven.”
“PM?”
Her heart crushed inside her chest, the last thing she wanted him to think was that she was a little girl.
“Yeah, I promised him.”
Duke leaned back after pulling up to a red light, “Ain’t nothing wrong with that. Respect your pop.”
His words hit deeper than she wanted them to.
“I can probably chill until 12.”
“I don’t want you to get no whooping,” he joked but she didn’t smile.
“Please, Duke, ok.”
“My bad,” he threw his hands up while laughing.
About thirty minutes later they were back in the hood, pulling up to a court way building. She was hesitant, but he talked her out the car. She followed him as fiends ran up to him, asking for product, but he brushed them off and kept walking.
“You cool?” he asked, putting the key in the door.
She hesitated before nodding her head, her stomach was in knots and her palms were sweating.
Her father’s voice echoed in her head with every step she took.
Eleven o’clock. She pushed his words to the far back of her mind and followed Duke inside.
His apartment wasn’t fancy, but it was clean, very clean.
Duke stretched out on the couch and pulled a pre-rolled blunt from behind his ear.
“Come sit down, I ain’t gon’ bite.”
“I’m not worried about you or your bite,” she shot back, making her way over to him.
He stared at her while taking a long pull and inhaling the smoke through his nose.
He shifted and made room for her in front of him.
As soon as she sat down, he held the blunt in her direction and she quickly declined.
Diamond would sell it a million times over, but smoking it wasn’t an option.
She and her sisters made a vow to never smoke anything that could possibly have them end up like their mother.
Duke was a whole vibe, they laughed, talked, joked, even argued playfully about which music artists were overrated.
Time didn’t in exist in that moment, and for the first time she was letting her hair down.
She was craving someone who looked at her like she wasn’t hard, broken, poor, or responsible.
She wanted what Duke was giving her. And if that meant missing curfew for an hour or two then so be it.
The sun hitting her face felt wrong, it was too warm, too bright, and too damn early. Diamond sat straight up on Duke’s couch, her heart was thundering.
“Duke,” she said, rocking his body as he snored a little and shifted, still asleep.
Diamond grabbed her phone and damn near died. Eighteen missed calls, sixteen voicemails, and a million text messages from Kayla. Another message from her sister came through while she was holding the phone.
Kayla: Bitch, get out of that house! We on our way to Duke’s house and Daddy is furious! I had to tell him where you were because I was scared that Duke had hogtied you and killed you!
Diamond’s blood ran cold, she felt like she was going to throw up. She started shaking Duke until he finally woke up.
“I have to go!”
“What’s wrong?” He sat up, confused.
“I stayed out all night and my dad is on his way here!”
“How the fuck that nigga know where I live?” Duke asked, standing up with no urgency.
“He doesn’t but my sister do, I texted her the address last night in the car.”
“Bro, I don’t like muthafuckas knowing where I lay my head.” He shot back right before a loud knock came from the other side of the door. Diamond felt like she was about to die, she jumped to her feet with her heart beating out her chest.
BOOM…BOOM…BOOM.
That go around, it sounded like they were kicking the door down.
“Diamond Hayes, you better come out before I come in!” Her father’s voice was so loud and powerful, it felt like the windows in the house were shaking. Fear was written all over Diamond and that was very rare.
Diamond barely got her shoes on before the door exploded with another round of banging.
Duke stretched, unfazed by the banging, but he walked to the door anyway, at his own pace.
Duke opened the door and Rich stood there looking like Satan dressed in Nike.
He locked eyes with Diamond, hers carried regret, his carried disappointment.
“Daddy…I’m…I’m sorry.”
For a second, she thought she saw Duke laughing, but he couldn’t be that stupid.
“Let’s go!” He demanded before his eyes fell on Duke, “Stay the fuck away from my daughter.”
“I will, but can Diamond stay away from me?”
Rich tilted his head briefly before delivering a blow to Duke’s stomach that caused him to buckle at the knees.
“You heard what the fuck I said. Get in the car,” he demanded as Diamond hurried out the door.
“I’m sorry, Sister,” Kayla said to Diamond as soon as she got in the car.
“It’s ok, this is all my fault.”
Diamond sat in the backseat silent, she was so disappointed in herself for disobeying her father. He was the one person she cared the most about hurting and she knew she did just that. He drove in silence and that scared her more than him yelling at her. She had no idea where his head was.
As soon as they pulled up to the house Kayla climbed out and Diamond tried to follow, but Rich told her to get in the front seat.
Her heart was under the bottom of her shoes, sweat beaded up on her forehead, and her hands shook.
She knew her father wasn’t going to put his hands on her but knowing that he was upset with her probably hurt worse, she was always perfect in his eyes.
She climbed in the front seat and placed her hands in her lap.
Diamond couldn’t even look her father in the face, so she looked straight ahead.
The crazy thing was, she didn’t do anything she wasn’t supposed to, she genuinely fell asleep.
Duke didn’t even try to have sex with her and that made her like him even more, though she knew she could never see him again.
The silence was killing her, at that point she wished he would yell, yelling was easier.
“Why didn’t you come home?” he finally asked in a low tone.
Diamond swallowed hard, “I promise I fell asleep, Daddy.”
“That’s not enough for me, Diamond. Had you come home when you were supposed to, you would’ve been sleep in your room and I wouldn’t have been up about to paint the fucking city red.”
His voice wasn’t harsh, it was calm, too calm, it was almost like he wasn’t mad, but she knew better than that. Her chest caved in a little before she exhaled.
“I felt alive around him, I was enjoying being visible to someone outside of my family,” she replied, staring out the window.
There it was…the truth, the real. Rich leaned back in the driver seat before looking over at her.
“So it was a choice you made to stay out all night.”
“Daddy, I’m sorry,” was all she could say.
“Baby, I’m not mad at you. Disappointed, yes. I have no doubt in my mind that you didn’t carry yourself like the young woman you are. I was worried, anything could’ve happened. I’m not saying what you did is ok, but I understand. I was your age before, too.”
Diamond blinked hard, fighting tears that were on the verge of falling.
“I promise I didn’t do anything wrong. I just liked him and liked being around him.”
Rich exhaled as understanding settled into his eyes, she was his baby.
“You’re about to turn seventeen, you’re allowed to like people. You’re allowed to want things for yourself. I ain’t trying to keep you away from life, I just want to guide you until I know you can lead yourself.”
Diamond wiped the tears that started to fall.
“Then why does it feel like I messed up things between us?”
Rich shook his head and spoke through a steady voice, “There’s nothing in this world that you could do to mess up this bond. You’ll forever be my baby, even when you grow up and have your own babies. Even when I walk you down the aisle and give you to your husband, you’ll be his wife, but my baby.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, but you’re still on punishment.”
“Soooo that means no work?”
“I said punishment not prison, we working!” he shot back as they both shared a laughed.
Diamond didn’t care what anyone said, every girl needed a dad, preferably like hers.