Chapter 3 #2
The moment my hairstylist handed me the mirror to look at myself, I almost broke down crying.
I finally looked and felt like myself again, and it was something I desperately needed.
I decided to get body wave bundles. It looked like the hair was coming out of my scalp, and I felt so pretty.
I snapped a few pictures and sent them to Chop, who I hadn’t heard from all day.
“Yes, girl. You look like a brand new woman!” Raylee gassed me up, and I couldn’t stop staring at my hair. We had already gone and got our lashes and eyebrows done, so the last thing I needed was to get my nails done and stop by the mall.
I paid my stylist and added an extra tip for her doing such a good job. When I got back to Raylee’s car, I sat in my seat scrolling on Instagram. I noticed Samara posted an invitation to her baby shower along with a few photos of her with her makeup done.
“Samara made a post with her baby shower invitation on it. It’s today,” I mentioned to Raylee. She seemed completely uninterested in Samara, which struck me as odd because we had always been so close.
“Oh, okay.” Her response was so dry, all I could do was laugh.
“I think we should go. Most of my family doesn’t know I’m free, so it would be a great time to surprise them. Plus, I’m curious to see who her baby daddy is because I know it’s not Jerrod’s broke ass.”
“If you want to go, I’ll drop you off. She didn’t invite me personally, and I don’t go anywhere I’m not invited, Raylee voiced.
“Well, in her caption, it says all are welcome. Maybe this is what we need to get us back on track,” I reasoned. Raylee rolled her eyes at me, but I didn’t see any harm in trying. We were all close at one point. Besides, babies are a blessing, and they should be celebrated.
Reluctantly, Raylee drove me to the baby shower after we left the mall.
I made sure to buy a gift because I refused to show up anywhere empty-handed.
I tried to call Chop for the fifth time, but his phone was going straight to voicemail.
His mother picked up Promise this morning, so I figured we could spend some alone time together once he finished running the streets.
It had been two long years, and I needed my back cracked in the worst way.
“We’re here,” Raylee announced as we pulled into the event center where the shower would be hosted.
“Are you really not going to come in with me?” I asked with my lips poked out. Raylee was one of my closest friends outside of Samara, and I wanted us all together.
“Peace, don’t start. You know how much I hate telling you no. I don’t want to be around her because if she says something out of the way, I’ll forget she’s pregnant and smack her ass.”
“I think you’re exaggerating. How about you come in for a few minutes, and if you don’t feel comfortable, we can leave. I just got home, and I really want to spend time with you.” I laid it on thick because I didn’t want to go by myself. Plus, I thought it would be a good idea.
“You are irritating. I’m gonna go in there, but the moment the vibe feels off, I’m leaving. You can either come with me or find another way home.” Raylee laid out her terms, and I wasn’t mad about them.
“Thank you! I promise that as soon as you tell me you’re ready to leave, we can go.”
“Yeah, whatever. Let’s go before I change my mind.”
The two of us got out of the car and headed towards the venue.
The parking lot was full of cars, and I recognized a few of them.
I wasn’t close to many of my family members, but my mother constantly reminded me that they were all I had.
When she passed away, a few of them reached out, but those calls ended the moment we put her in the ground.
I took a deep breath before we headed inside.
My family could be unpredictable at times.
We were twenty minutes late for the shower because our nail appointment ran over.
I figured it wouldn’t be too big a deal since black folks were usually late to every event.
Samara was one of those people who never showed up on time, so I doubted she would be on time for her baby shower.
When we walked inside, we found a guest book on a table. There were blue balloons with little teddy bear decorations that said, “I can bearly wait.” I thought it was a cute play on words.
Raylee and I signed the guest book and continued to head down the hall. I saw a few family members standing by the door, so I spoke to them. My cousin, Trey’s eyes widened in surprise before he opened his arms out to me.
“Umm, what’s up? I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“Yeah, I’ve only been home for a few days. I thought I would surprise Samara.”
“I’m sure she’ll be very shocked when she sees you here.”
There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone that caught me by surprise, but I brushed it off. He was probably high like he was at most of our family functions.
Raylee and I walked inside and found a table with a few empty seats.
My aunt Ramisha was giving instructions about a game they were about to play.
I glanced down at my phone, briefly trying to see if Chop responded to any of my messages, but he hadn’t opened any of them yet.
When it came to his street life, I tried not to bother him too much, but he also never went so long without responding to me.
When I lifted my head, there were three girls at the table and a fine-ass man who looked like he would rather be anywhere else.
“Are you family on the mom’s side?” One of the young girls asked. She was a pretty girl with long box braids piled into a bun.
“Yes, she’s my cousin. Are you the father’s family?”
I knew they weren’t a part of my family because I would have recognized them.
“Yes, Chop is our cousin.”
Raylee and I gave each other a look. Her statement had me confused because she mentioned my man instead of Samara’s baby daddy.
“I think you might have things mixed up. Samara is my cousin, but Chop isn’t the father of her baby. He’s my boyfriend.”
The young girl’s eyes shot over to the man as if she needed him to step in and save her. I watched their interaction and waited for her to respond.
“Oh, well, our auntie Rita invited us to this baby shower because she said her son was the father. Chop is the only son she has.” The other young girl next to her commented. Rita was Chop’s mother’s name, but none of what they said made any sense.
Before I could ask another question, I noticed Rita and my Aunt Ramisha talking. My head shook in disbelief because there was no way this was happening.
“Peace, maybe we should get out of here. I told you I didn’t think this was a good idea,” Raylee whispered.
My hands shook as I glanced around the room to see if I recognized any more of Chop’s family members. I saw two of his other cousins, with whom we often hung out.
“D-Did you know about this?” I questioned. Raylee and her family were much closer than mine, and I found it hard to believe she knew nothing about them. The guilty expression on her face told me everything I needed to know.
“I heard the rumors, but when Chop reached out to me about taking you out for a day of pampering, I assumed it must have been a made-up story. I told you she was moving funny, Peace.”
My breathing became restricted as I took in the scene before me.
I felt like I was on one of those prank shows, waiting for someone to jump out and tell me it was all a joke.
A part of me wanted to get up and walk out, but I needed to see it for myself.
Chop and Samara hated each other, so I couldn’t imagine the two of them being together.