Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
AHKEEM
I pulled my whip near the curb of the corner store before hopping out.
On the block, Jersey, Moe and Javi were kicking it and rolling dice.
I had some shit I had to take care of at one of my car dealerships, but before I could take care of any business, I needed some fucking food in my stomach.
The only thing that had been holding me over was the dinner Britain made, and I didn’t get the chance to ask Jazzy to make me something to eat before she headed out.
A breakfast sandwich from the deli ain’t never did me wrong.
It didn’t matter that it was half past twelve either.
“You niggas not playing for no real bread,” I laughed as I dapped them up. Jersey was a stickler when it came to money, so he ain’t gamble much. He played for a little bread, but once he saw he was losing more than he was making, he was always the first to drop out.
“Shut the fuck up.” He mean mugged me. “Finally came up for air from the wife?”
They all laughed because they loved to clown me about how sprung I was for my wife. “Against my will. She had to go tap in with Nymir’s grandmother.”
“How that shit go? That coffee she threw in your face wasn’t enough to keep your ass away, huh?” Javi laughed as he continued to shoot dice.
“My lady said the shit went well. Broke her off some bread. I guess Granny just don’t like me since she think I’m the reason they came shooting at Ny.”
Moe smacked his lips. “That shit ain’t on you, mane. You was on a fuckin’ island with your wife.”
“Tried reasoning with her, but she wasn’t hearing me. Hit me with her coffee instead,” I laughed. “It’s cool, though. Long as Ny go out like a king, it don’t matter to me who she accept the bread from.”
“That’s real. I’m gone miss that little nigga,” Jersey sighed as he reminisced on Nymir.
“Fasho.” I shook my head. He went out way too soon. “I’m ‘bout to hit the deli for some food. Y’all good?”
“Get me something since you offering,” Javi laughed.
“Begging ass.” I entered the store and was instantly hit with the calming scent of burning incense.
“Long time no see.” The front clerk, Obbie, smirked at me.
I dapped him up. “You know how I be, Obbie. Went and got married.” I proudly held up my left hand that had my iced-out wedding band.
“I heard. Congratulations, my guy.”
“‘Preciate it.” I finished chopping it up with Obbie before heading toward the back where the deli was. At the counter was Diamond and her sister Amina.
It’d been a while since I saw Amina. Last I heard, she had moved to Houston a while back. Diamond ain’t speak on her much because she respected that Amina and I went our separate ways. When I pulled up, Diamond was putting in an order for her and Amina.
“Di, you don’t need all that damn grease. Extra, extra bacon is dragging in,” Amina chastised her sister. “Just give her one extra order of bacon,” she then directed the cook.
Some things never changed. Amina was still bossing people around.
“Health is wealth, nigga. Thought I told you that.” I squeezed Diamond’s shoulders, catching her attention.
She laughed as she rubbed her stomach. “I ain’t got the six pack no more, but I think I’m still doing good.”
“We gone get you back in the gym. Me and my lady be putting in that work.”
Diamond smacked her lips. “I be seeing what the fuck y’all be doing on her Instagram. I’m not flipping that big-ass tire.”
“We gone start you off light. Don’t worry.”
I could feel Amina’s eyes burning a hole into the side of my face.
Last time we saw each other was before I met Jazzlyn.
I was still moving guns and debating on tapping into moving weight.
We left off on amicable terms, but it had been a while, so a lot of shit had changed.
The time did her well. She was thicker than the last time I saw her.
I ain’t mean to stare, but it was evident that she went and got some work done, but it looked nice and proportioned.
She had a few more tattoos that inked her chocolate skin and had her hair styled in those braids with the extra curly pieces that I remembered my wife getting before we went on our trip to Jamaica.
“What’s good, Amina? How you been?”
She cleared her throat lightly, causing Diamond to snicker. “I been good. You?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I can’t complain.”
The cook came over and took my order before handing me a ticket so I could go cash out.
“That’s nice. You look good, Ahk. I see you cut the dreads.”
I reached up and ran my hand over my low cut.
Amina and I were fucking around when I had my freeform dreads.
I was young and still figuring life out.
When we ended things and she dipped out to Houston, I felt like I needed a change, so I chopped my fucking hair off.
My homies thought I was having a mid-life crisis or some shit, but really, I just knew I was about to step into a different phase of life.
A year later, I met my wife, then got plugged in with Priest. Shit went up from there.
“Yeah, I grew out of ‘em. I’m on my grown man shit now.” I chuckled. “How was Houston?”
“Houston is great. My podcast is doing good. I’m actually in town for a show. I thought I might as well look at a few spots while I’m here since I’m considering moving back.” She smiled while looking up at me.
“Word? That’s what’s up. I’m proud of you, ‘Mina.”
“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you. I heard you the king of the city now.” Her smile had faltered into a smirk as her eyes pierced into mine.
A smooth chuckle escaped me as I shook my head. “I ain’t with all the king shit. I’m just pulling my weight and stacking my bread.”
“Well, I’m proud of you too, Ahkeem, for real.”
“‘Preciate it.”
Her and Diamond’s order came out, and Diamond grabbed the ticket from her so she could go pay. “I’ll catch you later, Ahk. Hit me if you need me.” Diamond dapped me up.
“No doubt.”
Amina was on the verge of following Diamond to the front counter but stopped.
Turning back around to face me, she toyed with her hands as a nervous look etched her face.
“I don’t know what you have planned tomorrow night, but I have a live show at the Central Theater. I would love for you to come out.”
I knew it took a lot for her to build up the courage to ask just by the uneasy look that settled in her eyes. I bit down on my bottom lip, momentarily thinking of the best response I could give her. “’Preciate the invite, but I got some shit planned with my wife and son.”
“Oh, you’re married?”
I could hear the shock in her tone. I was always a nigga who got in and out of relationships, so it wasn’t unusual for me to be dealing with someone.
Marriage, however? That shit was a shock.
I always thought marriage wasn’t in the cards for me, but truthfully, I just hadn’t met the right person. Jazzlyn changed all that shit.
I nodded. Her eyes trailed down to my left hand, and she stared at my wedding band.
It was hard to fucking miss once you thought to look at my hand.
I flipped my arm around and showcased the portrait of Jazzlyn I had inked on my forearm.
“Yeah, we still newlyweds and shit.” I smiled as my eyes trailed down to the tattoo as well.
She forced a smile onto her face, masking the shock. “Wow, uh, congrats. She’s gorgeous.”
“‘Preciate it.”
“How old is your son?”
I flipped my right arm so she could see the portrait of Saphir that was inked on me. “He’s five.”
I could tell she was trying to do the math in her head to see if my son was conceived around the time I was fucking with her. He wasn’t. I found out about Saphir after he was born, and by then, Amina had already been in Houston for a while.
“He looks just like you, Ahk.”
“Yeah, he do.” My order was called, cutting into our conversation.
“It was nice seeing you, Ahkeem.”
“Same here, Amina.” I nodded at her. She headed out the store behind Diamond, and I grabbed my food so I could pay. Once I got back outside to hand Javi his sandwich I got him, they were already laughing their asses off.
“She looked pissed coming out. You must’ve told her you was married,” Jersey said, referring to Amina, who had already left the block with Diamond.
I smacked my lips. “She seemed to have taken it well inside. She can’t be pissed, though. I moved on.”
“Well, she is. You better hope and pray she don’t cross paths with your wife. You know Amina like to throw hands.”
“Jazzy would rock the fuck outta Amina.” I laughed. “Don’t let all that boujie shit fool you. She’ll lay a bitch flat out.”
“I believe you. I remember when y’all was going at it in front of her club when she first opened. She slapped the shit outta you. I sat the fuck down, shut the fuck up, and stayed out y’all business,” Moe recalled with a shake of his head.
Jazzy did slap the fuck outta me when we got into it about her not telling me about Club Reign being under investigation when she first opened.
When we used to fight, we used to hit low, so it wasn’t unusual that shit got carried away before Taylor snatched Jazzy up and my homies snatched me up.
We calmed down a lot and learned that shit didn’t need to escalate that far to get our points across.
“Chill on my baby,” I chuckled while I grubbed on my bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.
I chopped it up with the guys a little while longer before I dapped them up and left.
“What’s good, Ahk?” Mirsad dapped me up as soon as I stepped foot into my dealership.