20
“That bitch was looking at me with murder in her eyes,” Iva laughed as she and Clover pulled out of the Target parking lot.
Amina was doing her baby shower registry, so they met her and Diva there to assist.
She’d done a registry at two other stores and the rest was being done on Amazon.
She and Fonzo had also finalized the plans for their house.
Hank and his crew got started the day before and they were both excited.
The house wasn’t gonna be done when the baby was born, but they didn’t care.
They were gonna move in as a family and that was the best part of it all.
“Girl, I would be too embarrassed to be anywhere near Monty or his family after what she did. That bitch was really pressed.”
Hank had spoken to Corey’s siblings about the texts in Caprice’s phone.
Her cousins tried to lie at first until he told them that he saw the messages himself.
They were pissed, assuming that Caprice had showed it to him.
They dropped a bomb on Hank that had Monty fuming.
Apparently, Caprice had an air tag in the trunk of his car that he eventually found and destroyed.
Now, he knew how she was always able to find him.
She must have known where he and Iva lived now because she slipped up and mentioned that too.
As close as she was with Clover’s cousins before, they were all beefing now.
They were even going at it on social media, airing out each other’s personal business.
“She looked like she was scared to come in but she was with two other chicks. They were talking to Dot, but she stayed her distance. I don’t think Dot even saw her.”
“Dot probably would have swung on her ass behind Monty,” Clover laughed.
“Girl, I just feel like it’s always something. You got your stalker and his mama together, me and Monty finally got it right and Caprice was finally out of our lives. Well, I thought she was. You never know what that sneaky bitch be up to.”
“Unfortunately, that’s life. I wish it was all sunshine and roses, but let’s face it; sometimes, it’s shit covered in sprinkles.”
“No lies told. How is everything with Kim?”
“That bitch is in love again. She said she’s bringing her man to Riverdale in two weeks to meet the family. She said ole girl blocked Rondell off of all her social media. I guess she got the point.”
“Good cause that hoe was slow. Where else we gotta go? I’m hungry as hell.”
“Me too. Let me call and check on my baby before we go anywhere else.”
Kardi was with Irie and her kids at the bounce house. Once Clover made sure that she was good, she and Iva headed under the Claiborne bridge where all the food trucks were parked. They had a variety of food and drinks to choose from and they always went to more than just one.
“I want some oysters and tacos,” Iva said as she got over and prepared to make a turn.
“I want some lamb chops. And I hope the girl is out here who be selling the fruit drinks.”
“Me too but you should be tired of lamb chops. That’s all you been eating lately. Girl, is that Hank?”
“Where?” Clover asked while looking around.
“Ain’t that his work truck right there?” Iva pointed to the truck that was first at the light. They were the third car and a black van separated them.
“Yeah, but Dash has been using it. He’s been going out renewing contracts and stuff.”
“Yep, that’s his ass.” Iva laughed as she blew her horn.
The light had just turned green, but he didn’t move.
The van in front of them was laying on their horn, but Dash just sat there.
The cars behind them started going around and the van did the same.
Iva was pissed when the light turned red because she had to wait again.
They were right behind Dash, and he was still sitting there.
Clover was just about to call to make sure he was okay until a female’s head popped up out of nowhere.
He looked to be in the car alone but he definitely had a passenger.
“The fuck!” Clover yelled while jumping out of Iva’s car.
“Clo! Fuck!”
Iva was torn about what she should do. She didn’t want to leave her car in the middle of the intersection but she had to make sure that her girl was straight too.
Both their phones and purses were in there and that was a disaster in itself.
She watched in horror, as Clover opened the driver’s side door and started wailing on Dash.
“Dog ass nigga! I knew you were on some bullshit. I hope that was the best head you ever had cause you just lost me to get it.”
“Shit! Baby, wait.” Dash was nervously trying to remove his seatbelt.
“Nigga, fuck you. On my dead mama, I’m done with your bitch ass!”
Clover was throwing haymakers at Dash, as he tried to restrain her.
Her face twisted in anger when she saw Caprice’s cousin, Sade, jump out of the passenger’s side.
She was fixing her clothes, as Dash got out and tried to buckle his jeans.
Iva saw Sade going to the other side of the truck and assumed she was trying to hit her friend.
“Fuck it!” Iva turned the car off in the middle of the street and locked the doors. She sprinted over to the fight but she was too late.
As soon as Sade got closer, Clover grabbed her and started swinging on her next. Horns honked behind them and, as usual, the phones came out. People didn’t care about being killed or run over as long as they could get the footage.
“Chill out, Lucky.” Dash tried to pull Clover off of the other woman who was bleeding profusely.
“Nah, nigga, let her go. You wrong for that shit, Dash. I don’t respect that at all,” Iva said while blocking his path.
If nothing else, Clover knew her man. She kept telling Iva that Dash was moving funny but she didn’t think anything of it.
His moods changed like the time, but she didn’t know what to make of it.
Iva would have never thought it would be anything like what they’d just seen.
And with Caprice’s cousin of all people.
“Did you respect your girl when she was outchea fucking with her cousin? And don’t even play me by saying you ain’t know. She was just with the nigga two weeks ago!”
“And you believed this silly bitch! You can’t be that dumb.”
Dash had a stupid look on his face after she said that. His intrusive thoughts were keeping him up at night, so he talked to his brothers about it. They both told him that it was probably something that happened in the past. They advised him to let it go, but he couldn’t.
He finally gave in to his insecurities and called Sade.
Dash was heartbroken when he learned that Clover was fucking with her cousin.
It made sense, especially when he learned that Trent’s mama was the lawyer who handled their divorce.
He didn’t even know the bitch and he hated her and her son.
Then, Sade dropped another bomb on him. She told him that Clover was with the other man a few weeks ago and that was the final nail in the coffin.
Sade kept begging him to hook up, but he kept saying no.
His plan was to talk to Clover about it and that’s exactly what he should have done.
Instead, he ended up seeing Sade when he stopped at the corner store for lunch and she hopped in the truck with him.
She started pulling at his zipper before he even pulled off.
It was crazy how he got busted and he had only been with her for ten minutes or so.
She gave him head as he drove, and he was supposed to bring her right back to her car.
As always, he let anger cloud his judgement and made shit worse.
Just then, he felt like a fool. Caprice backed up everything that her cousin said and he was enraged.
Not once did he ever stop to think that they could have been lying.
He saw with his own eyes how much they hated Clover.
But the way the nigga watched her in the bar that night was proof enough in his eyes.
Acting off of emotions always got him fucked up.
Dash snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Clover speak.
“Fuck him and this hoe. I’m done. Me and my baby will be gone tonight. Do what the fuck you want with who you want.”
Sade picked herself up from the ground and staggered back to the truck, as Dash ran over to Clover.
“Lucky, wait, please. I’m sorry, I fucked up but let me explain.”
“Explain to your daughter why we’ll no longer be living up under the same roof. Let’s go, friend.”
Clover didn’t cry or say anything else. She looked straight ahead, as Iva got back into her car and drove away.
Dash was in full panic mode and he had to get to her quick.
Sade tried to get back in the truck, but he threw her purse out and left her standing at the busy intersection before he pulled off.
“Are you okay, friend? I’m so sorry, Clo.”
“I’m good but I’m pissed with that hoe for making me fight her. I don’t square up behind no nigga, but she came too close. I thought she was trying to get at me.”
“I did too. That’s why I got out of the car. We can go home and talk if you want to. It’s okay if you wanna cry, you know I’m here.” Iva looked over at her friend sadly.
“Bitch, I’m hungry. I’ll cry tomorrow.” Clover waved her off dismissively.
“Seriously, Clo? I need to take a page from your book. This bitch never cries.” Iva laughed but she was serious. Clover was one of the strongest young women that she knew and she admired her for that.
“After my daddy was murdered, I had to slowly watch my mama grieve and lose herself to the drugs that she got hooked on to numb the pain. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I slept in the house with her dead body, not wanting to face the reality that she too was gone as a result of those same drugs.
Foaming at the mouth with a needle stuck in her arm is my last memory of my mother. And still, to this day, I can remember the sadness in her eyes that never went away after losing her husband. She couldn’t even be a mother to me, but Kardi will never know that feeling.
I thank God every single day for Diva being the mother figure that I needed. Not many things can make me cry anymore, especially not a nigga. I’m hurt but it won’t last forever.”
“Damn, friend, I never even thought about that. Now, I feel like I wanna cry.”
“Well, do that shit later. I’m hungry as fuck and this stupid ass nigga is following us.”
“Wait, what?”