Chapter 5
Progress
After baggin’ up coke for half the night, I watched Gio move around the house, getting ready to head out at four in the morning.
“You don’t want to take a nap, baby?” I asked low.
He shook his head. “Nah, baby, they already hittin’ my line. I’ma get myself some coffee, and I’ma hit these licks.”
I sighed and walked behind him in the kitchen as he poured his coffee. I wrapped my arms around his chest and laid my head on his back.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, baby girl, I want you to get your rest while your man goes out here and grinds for you.”
I laughed, and he turned around and wrapped his arms around me.
“I just want to be there for you. You are doing a lot for us. I don’t want you to feel like I take you for granted.”
Gio lifted my chin and kissed me.
“What you are asking for, baby, I should have been did it. What I do want you to do today is send me some more places and ideas of how you’re trying to decorate.”
“Okay, baby.”
I walked him to the door, kissed him one more time, and watched him walk out to his car and pull off, then closed the door behind me.
I was tired. I was excited, but at the same time, I was a lil’ bit worried.
Gio hasn’t been himself. Tossing and turning all night, head rocking back and forth when we’re out like he’s a damn bobble head.
I knew when he was lying, but didn’t want to tell him.
Instead, I just got in bed, curled up against his pillow, and fell asleep without even knowing it. Then I was scared out of my sleep by my phone ringing.
I quickly got myself together, realized that it was noon, and that my mom was calling.
“Good morning, Mommy,” I said, clearing my throat.
“Good morning, my daughter. I haven’t heard from you or seen you. Do you have time for your mother today?”
I smirked; she was right. “Yes, Mommy, give me a lil’ bit of time to get dressed, and I will be over to see you.”
We hung up, then I quickly got myself together and grabbed my keys. The sun hit me as soon as I opened the door, and I was thinking about closing it and staying in the AC, but I knew my momma would trip if I didn’t slide through.
I walked down the steps, got in my car quick, and blasted the AC. As I pulled out of the complex and turned the corner, there my man was. Lookin’ good as ever, holdin’ down the block with his niggas.
I rolled down my window as he walked over.
“You good, boo?” he asked.
“Yeah, just about to go see my momma real quick.”
“Fasho, tell her I said wussup,” he said as he leaned down for a kiss. “Be safe, call me if you need me.”
Gio walked away, and I pulled off, heading to the other side of town.
The drive wasn’t light. LA traffic was some shit, and by the time I pulled up to her house, I was irritated and thankful I had a lil’ roach to blow on before I went to spend time with her.
After calming myself the best that I could, I grabbed my handbag and walked into her house, making her jump when she turned around.
“Damn, girl!” she yelled. “You know better than that.”
“You should know better than to leave your door unlocked,” I said as I walked over to hold her and kiss her.
“Well…” Ma said while watchin’ me sit down. “I was waiting for you; you just scared me.”
I tilted my head at her, and we both laughed.
“So, how is Gio?”
I exhaled. “Gio is good…”
I looked around the living room, and she clocked it.
“Islah, I know you ain’t come all the way over here to lie to my face. What the hell is going on? Do I need to go beat his ass?”
“No, Ma, damn,” I said, laughing. “Our relationship good, I just want…movement, a house, kids, marriage. We been together long enough.”
Ma nodded her head. “And what did he say about that?”
“He was good about it, he agreed… He been telling me he grinding to do it. I’ve been sending him houses to look at, but…”
“But what, baby?” Ma asked.
“He hasn’t asked me to look at one damn house but been handing me money for a house.”
Ma laughed my ass out. “Girl, let that nigga do what he need to do before you judge too much. Is he acting different?”
“Yes,” I responded fast.
Ma sighed. “Like I said, give him some time. Even though y’all should have taken those steps, you know nigga’s minds slow.”
I sucked my teeth and laughed. She wasn’t wrong.
“But for real, that man loves you, and it’s been years. I don’t see him fumbling now.”
“I know he does…I just want it to be shown the right way.”
“As a backup plan, set a date for yourself. If one thing is not at least started, then you need to leave, baby. The last thing I want is for my daughter to be stuck,” she continued.
I agreed. “I’ma do that, and if I end up old and alone, that’s on you.”
“Girl, never, if Gio don’t do right, it is a million niggas in this world who will.”
Ma opened her mouth to say something else, when my daddy walked in looking tired as hell from work. I walked over to him and gave him a big hug as he looked at me crazily.
“Damn, Karen, I almost forgot we had a daughter. She don’t come around no more.”
“Damn! Y’all can get off my neck, I’m here now.”
Both stared at me.
“And I could be dead,” my daddy said.
I rolled my eyes. “Y’all niggas extra. Come on, I’ma take y’all out to eat.”
My dad went off to the shower, and while he did that, I helped my mom pick out an outfit and did her hair and makeup.
Ma stared at me through the mirror as I styled her hair.
“To be honest with you…” she said, then paused.
I looked up for a second, not sure what she was about to say, and she let out a deep breath before she continued.
“I kind of feel like he might have held you back a lil’ bit. You had so many dreams and goals before you met him. You have a whole nursing license that you keep up to date but don’t use.”
I nodded. Honestly, she was right.
“I just never wanted my daughter to lose herself in a man,” she continued.
I finished Ma’s hair and turned her chair around to do her makeup.
“I didn’t lose myself to him; my goals changed. I went from wanting to be in the nursing field to wanting to be a wife and have a family—”
“But you could have both,” Ma added, cutting me off.
“I know I can. Don’t worry, Mommy, your daughter got some eggs in her basket,” I said with a wink.
I finished her face, and we walked out to Daddy, smoking with an attitude on his face.
“I guess y’all had to make the clothes and the makeup, huh?”
Me and Ma looked at each other and laughed.
“Nigga, we are about to be waiting on you to get your old ass off that sofa, now come on!” Ma said to Daddy as she walked to the door.
I laughed and walked out behind her to my car, and we talked to one of her neighbors in passing while we waited for Daddy. When he finally came out, we hopped in my car, and I took them to a steakhouse.
Daddy walked in and acted as if he had never been anywhere nice before, and Ma was loud, thinking she was quiet, as she got on him. All I could do was laugh as we were led to our table. They were cute.
I got us some appetizers and drinks and stared at my parents as they were caught up in their own lil’ world, talking about people, talking and laughing about each other. But when they flirted? That shit warmed my heart.
My daddy would wrap his arm around my mom’s shoulder. She naturally scooted as close as she could to him and laid her head on his shoulder. No matter where they were or who was around, they had been doing that since I was a kid.
That’s what I wanted—it’s what I always wanted, and what Gio gave me.
We ate good, reminisced, and talked about the future I wanted with Gio, and I got some advice that I probably needed.
It was getting late for them, so I got them some extra meals to take with us, and I got them home, getting a big hug and kiss before I left.
“Next time you come, I want that nigga with you,” Dad said. “Hardly see your ass, I know it’s probably been a year since I saw him.”
I sucked my teeth at his extra ass and gave Ma a hug.
“I will come around more, I promise.”
“Iight, I’ma hold you to it,” Ma said low.
I walked out and headed home with everything I talked about to them replaying in my head, when I got a text from Ma.
At the next light I came to, I opened it to see a message from her thanking me for dinner, along with the picture I took of them from dinner. I stared at it for a minute and started missing Gio.
I pulled up on the block, and there my man was. Still on the corner, shirt off, dappin’ niggas off, and waving bitches off like he was a celebrity. He was in the middle of talking when I hopped outta my car, but that didn’t matter. He walked through everybody who was there with a smile on his face.
I had one on mine too.
We opened our arms at the same time and walked into each other, holding on tight.
“I missed you,” we said at the same time.
As we pulled away from each other, he lifted my chin and looked me deep in my eyes before he kissed me.
“I was craving you, baby…” he said as he walked me back over to where he was.
“What you need, baby?” I asked, and I was low-key feeling the same.
Gio’s phone rang, he checked it, turned around to weigh out some work quickly, then turned back to me.
“I just needed you with me.”
I smirked. “I needed the same, boo.”
Gio winked at me and went off to handle business while I stood there with Bully talking shit and holdin’ down the corner while Gio was gone. Everything was cool. Niggas was asking for Gio and Bully was clearin’ niggas, lettin’ them know that they were gonna be dealing with me.
I hit a few licks, talked to Bully, and was about to find out where Gio went off to when this man walked up on me fast. Bully didn’t even have a chance to check him.
“I need some work,” the man said, real off.
I looked at Bully, and he slightly shook his head.
“I’m sorry? What the fuck are you talkin’ ‘bout!” I said to the man.
He looked around, pulling his hand out of his pocket with a wad of money in it.
“I’m good for it, I just need some white.”
I threw my hands up.
“I think you need to move around, ain’t shit over here.”
He wouldn’t take that as an answer.
“Come on, I know it be here, or your man!”
Bully stepped in between me and him, but then, a voice came from behind me.
“You fuckin’ with the wrong one,” Gio said low but loud.
Me and Bully moved outta the way, giving Gio all the space. He walked up on the nigga, looking around like he was looking for somebody.
“You need to go ahead and take that shit to the other side of town. It’s nothing on this side for you,” Gio said, taking a sip of green juice.
“Man, come on, I’m good for it.”
“What do you want? Green juice? Ain’t shit else over here but niggas and my girl, and the way your hand is shaking, I don’t know if you are nervous or fiening… You should worry ‘bout that.”
The man looked at Gio, Bully, and me before walking off.
“You good?” Gio asked me.
I nodded. “Yeah. What was up with that?”
“I don’t know, but I know I saw that nigga before.”
“You want me to keep watch?” Bully asked.
“Nah, I’ma take it in. Tell niggas be careful out here tonight.”
Gio grabbed his bag and my hand, leading me to the passenger seat of my car. Gio got in and just stared out of the window. That nigga was staring like he had X-ray vision or some shit.
“What is wrong?” I asked.
He snapped out of it.
“Nothing, baby…nothing.”
I knew he was lying, but I let it go and sat back as he drove us home. Gio rushed me inside, and once we were in, he kept checking the windows like he was a crackhead.
I stood back watching him and was getting worried.
Finally, he sat down, and I went and sat beside him, pulling him to lay between my legs so I could rub his head as he smoked.
“Baby, what do you need from me?”
Gio blew out some smoke and softly rubbed his thumb on my thigh.
“Pray for your nigga, baby. I think niggas after me…”