Chapter 27 #3
Getting myself together, I brushed out my hair, washed my face, did my skincare routine, before grabbing a fit for the day.
Keeping it cute and sassy, I chose a tennis skirt and cropped top, along with a pair of Chanel sneakers, and a Chanel mini cross-body.
Checking myself out in the mirror, I already knew that my boys would have their complaints, as they hated that I still dressed youthful and blended in with women their ages.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about the fact that I’d had them when I was a baby myself, and was still very much in my prime.
As I re-entered the room, I thought about what I was doing with my day. I already knew that once my kids began showing up, then they were going to drag me down to the kitchen. Lowkey, I really didn’t mind cooking, and was just mostly talking shit, joking with my kids.
“I'll be obliged if you step outside. Because my ride is awaiting, our date and. Of steak and a night cap. We mating, awaking…”
I paused for a second, as I heard the loud music blasting from somewhere. After standing there silently, I realized that the music was coming from outside. So, curiously, I approached a window that overlooked our circular driveway.
Outside, in front of the house was a shirtless Jahrein, wiping down his drop-top old school slab with the fours aka rims poking out. The sun was shining brightly, and from where I was standing, I swear that Jahrein still looked like the seventeen-year-old boy I’d met all those years back.
Naturally athletic, his heavily tatted back was strong.
His chest chiseled. With abs made of steel.
Those waves in his hair were spinning and gleaming under the sun’s glare.
Not giving a fuck at this point in life, he was wearing Amiri shorts, and Versace boxers like they were yard clothes.
He had a bowlegged strut that was almost hypnotizing.
So, watching him move about felt like an absolute privilege, as his enchantment drew me in.
“New day, new age. Every once in awhile this is how we slang our game. New day, new age. Nothin’ is too strong. New day, new age. When setting it out is all we straight to do. New day, new age. Just me and you, just me and you…”
Animatedly, he rapped along to our song. “I hear your partners dissing. When they think I ain't listening. Them hoes just be wishing. They could be in yo position. With me in luxury. I got to be everyday…”
Laughing, I sauntered away from the window, and out of the room. Traveling through the house, I shook my head, sometimes loathing the damn eight thousand square footage space, because it took forever to reach the front entryway.
By the time I reached outside, the song had switched, and Jahrein was wiping down his rims. Quietly, I switched over to him, before posting up behind him.
“You sure are up early.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “It’s pretty out here. So, I’m bringing this outside to soak up some of this atmosphere.”
I smirked. “So, you’re outside today?”
“Nah. We outside today.”
I lightly tittered. “And where are we going?”
“Shit, wherever the wind blows.”
“Yeah? Well, try telling that to your kids. Three of ‘em have already called, claiming that they’re coming over.”
He shrugged. “That’s on them. They all got keys. So, they’ll be in this muthafucka kicking it, and we’ll be somewhere minding our business.”
“So, you’on wanna kick it with our babies?”
“Shit, they’on give me time to miss their asses. Plus, they really just be coming over for you to baby them. Wanting all the damn attention.”
I laughed. “You’re so fucking jealous. I can’t give them my attention?”
“Yeah, of course. But they’re grown. They’ll manage if we take a day for ourselves. Hell, Reagan aint tripping. It’s them oldest ones. They just be wanting to come over here and pretend that they aint got responsivities of their own.”
“And that’s okay too.”
“Uh huh.” He refocused on cleaning the rims. “You just remember that we doing us today. Even if they pull up, before we pull off. Fuck them kids.”
>>>>>
“Mama, are you serious?” Jhyrah questioned, as she stood outside of the car, with her baby boy on her hip.
Looking at her, my baby was gorgeous. She had that sun kissed peanut butter complexion.
Curly hair. Deep dimples. With her mama’s figure.
Meanwhile, her youngest baby boy looked just like his daddy, who was as handsome as the day was long, with a rich, brown caramel complexion, curly hair, and enchanting slanted eyes.
“Jhyrah, she cooked y’all some breakfast like y’all wanted. Now, go tend to one of your restaurants or something,” Jahrein spoke up, as he was seated behind the wheel of his drop-top, red, candy-painted slab.
“But where are y’all going? Y’all need to sit down somewhere. Outside is closed for old people. Y’all got grandkids. So, y’all need to be in this big house, entertaining them,” she argued, sounding serious as cancer.
“Girl, bye.” I waved her off, while pursing my lips. “Jah, let’s go. She aint talking about nothing.”
He smiled. “See ya, baby girl. We’ll call you tonight,” he promised, before pulling the car forward, exiting our winding driveway.
Studying Jahrein as he gripped the steering wheel, I found the fact that he was still shirtless rather amusing. His skin was heavily tatted, and he was still in pristine physical shape. With two glistening chains hanging from his neck, he was on his hood shit. Looking no older than twenty-five.
I was thinking about all the sinful things I could do to him, until a sudden wave of guilt swept over me, causing me to sigh, as we exited our gated community. “I don’t know, Jah. Maybe we should take a ride another time. All the kids are literally back at the house.”
He sucked his teeth. “Man, like I said, fuck them kids. They’ll be alright.”
Smirking, I shook my head, as I decided to sit back, chill, and enjoy the ride.
We weren’t too far from home, taking the scenic route, when our cells began ringing. I reached to answer my phone, and Jahrein immediately grabbed it out of the cupholder.
“Nah. We aint taking calls, right now.”
I exhaled, while patting my thighs with my palms “Okay.”
Laughing, he shook his head. “You over there ‘bout to lose your fucking mind. Them kids can function without you, bae. I promise.”
“Shut up.” I pouted, while playfully shoving him. “I can’t help it. They’re my babies.”
He nodded. “Mine too. But sometimes shit gets so noisy. I’m here, negotiating that deal. Checking on this investment. Showing up to school award ceremonies, little league games. It’s always something. So, I was just telling myself…that I miss you.”
I narrowed my gaze. “You miss me? Nigga, we wake up, and go to bed together every night.”
“And? Sometimes…I just need you all to myself. I can’t remember the last time that we spent the whole day together.
Just us.” He grabbed my hand, and interlocked our fingers.
“Cause sometimes I just wanna listen to you talk. Walk around in your head. Hear what’s in your heart. With no distractions.”
“Oh, shit.” I smirked, while cutting my eyes at him. “You talking like you in love or something.”
He licked his lips. “Shit, deep in it.”
My heart skipped a beat, realizing that he still had that same effect on me, even after all these years. As always, I liked to play tough but would turn to mush whenever me and Jah were alone and he’d whisper those sweet nothings in my ear.
I also understood why he was so intentional.
Often times, when couples have been together for a long while, they’d forget about the things that mattered the most. Or what had drawn them together to begin with.
The world was easy to get lost in, and recentering regularly was one simple method to keep ourselves grounded.
Healthy relationships were hard work, and we tried our best not to become complacent.
And sometimes one of us would have to nudge the other in the right direction.
Like today. I would sometimes become overly consumed with my kids’ lives, forgetting that they had their own households, while I still had mine to tend to.
“Bae, let’s smoke somethin’,” Jahrein suggested.
Nodding, I needed to hear nothing more. After releasing his hand, I went into the glove box, and grabbed a bag of weed, and all the makings to roll up a blunt.
Once the blunt was rolled, I lit it up with a lighter, took a few puffs, before passing it to him. Then just as he was hitting the weed, his cell rang again. Seeing that he was preoccupied, I grabbed his phone and answered. Giving no regards to his random rule about no phones.
“Hello?”
“May I speak to Jahrein?”
I lightly tittered. “Who’s calling?”
“His real wife.”
“Bitch, what?”
“You heard me, hoe. Is this that funny lookin’ broad I saw him riding with the other day?”
“Funny lookin’?”
“Yeah, you heard me. And you can stop touching his fucking phone. I didn’t call to talk to you.”
“Oh, you didn’t?” I cut my eyes at Jah, as he was still puffing on the blunt, while gripping the steering wheel, minding his business. As I was on his phone.
“Hell, no. I wanna speak to daddy.”
I pursed my lips. “Quel, if you don’t stop fucking playing with me.”
Raquel aka my sister giggled into the phone.
Some years back we’d stopped dabbling in the maybe.
We were biologically sisters, and there were DNA tests to back that.
At this point, I think that we were both mad at ourselves for not getting to the truth sooner.
Because having my sister had changed so much for me.
I no longer had to deal with fake bitches, praying that they had good intentions.
Nor did I have to concern myself with muthafuckas begging or staying close to leech.
Raquel had her own, and even if she didn’t, I would never stand back and watch her live poorly.