12. Lennox
Lennox
Ipulled up across from Reiana’s business a little before five and waited.
I wasn’t going inside because whatever conversation we were about to have didn’t need to happen in front of her employees, and I damn sure wasn’t trying to embarrass her at her place of business.
I just needed answers, and I needed them from her.
Almost twenty minutes later, I saw her come through the front door with another woman walking beside her. I waited until the woman went to her car before I got out my truck and headed across the street to face my past.
“Reiana,” I called as I got close enough for her to hear me.
She stopped dead in her tracks like she was trying to figure out if she was hearing shit or not.
When our eyes locked, she just stared at me like she couldn’t believe it was me she was really looking at.
For a split second, I saw the love that she had for me housed behind the pain she tried to hide.
That didn’t last long because all of that was replaced with nothing but pure hate.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Reiana snapped as she stood in front of me. I couldn’t lie and say that I wasn’t stuck for a second because Reiana was always beautiful, but it seems like over the years the shit enhanced. Shaking my head, I had to remember why I was here.
“You got something you wanna tell me?” I quizzed as I peered into her eyes. She gave me a look I knew all too well, and she was about to go off on my ass.
“The fuck would I have to tell you Lennox? Huh? What could I possibly have to tell you now after eight years that you all of a sudden want to here? Huh?” I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was hurt, but it didn’t overtake the anger that was there.
“You know exactly what the fuck I’m talking about Ree, so stop fucking playing with me,” I grit, getting pissed that she was trying to play in my face right now.
“I’on have time for this bullshit with you,” she scoffed as she shook her head. She turned toward her truck, but my words halted her steps.
“Is Rhyse my son?” It seemed like everything around us went silent and we were the only two muthafuckas that existed.
“What did you ask me?” She squinted in my direction.
“I asked you was Rhyse my son,” I replied as I stepped closer but kept enough distance between us.
Reiana stared at me like I had lost my fucking mind before her expression hardened. “Don’t you dare worry about my fucking son now. You didn’t want him, so keep that same fucking energy,” she snapped.
“How the fuck could I not want a kid I didn’t know about?” I frowned. This girl really had me fucked up right now.
“Cut the bullshit, Lennox,” she started.
“Don’t stand in my face acting like you didn’t know I was pregnant.
Even after you broke up with me out the blue, I still felt like you deserved to know…
so I called both your mama and sister to let them know I needed to talk to you.
After not hearing from you… I texted you.
” I stood and looked at her for a moment, trying to see if she was lying, but I didn’t see any signs of deceit.
“I’ain get no text from you about a baby, Ree,” I explained, purposely leaving out that I ignored the messages my mama and sister gave me.
Reiana shook her head and looked away from me for a second before turning back. “See, this is exactly why I’on have shit to say to you.” She started to get into her truck, but I grabbed her forearm to stop her before she yanked from my hold.
“Get the fuck off me,” she damn near growled.
“I’m asking because I’on know what the fuck you’re talking about,” I replied as I watched her. “You’re saying you told me, but I’m telling you I’ain know shit about you being pregnant.”
“Yes, Lennox,” Reiana snapped as she stepped closer. “I told you I was pregnant. So miss me with this whole confused act like you just found the shit out today. It’s been eight years. Eight. Fucking. Years!” She yelled.
I stood there trying to remember any time that I received a text or even a phone call from her saying she was pregnant, but there was nothing.
“I never got a text from you saying you were pregnant,” I told her as I shook my head. “I didn’t know shit about a baby,” I answered honestly.
“You really standing here lying to my face?” She spat.
“I’ain lying, Ree,” I replied. “If I knew you were pregnant, I wouldn’t have been finding out about my son eight years later by seeing him with you and some nigga walking out a fucking restaurant.”
“Wait… what do you mean you saw me and a nigga? You’ve been following me?” She asked.
“Nah… don’t worry about that,” I countered.
“Whatever, Lennox. I’on know what kind of game you’re playing, and I’on care. You made your feelings very clear eight years ago. I just want you to keep that same energy and leave my life… again.” The pain in her voice was evident, and that fucked me up a little, but she did this… not me.
“I made what feelings clear?” I questioned, as I frowned at her. “You keep saying shit like I know what the fuck you’re talking about and I’m telling you I don’t,” I said for what felt like the millionth time.
Instead of responding, she just shook her head and scoffed before she spoke up. “Stay the fuck away from me and stay the fuck away from my son.”
If Rhyse is mine, you can’t keep me out of his life,” I stated.
“You’ve already done that, Lennox. I gave you that chance, and you made your choice. I’ve raised that boy without you for almost eight years. You don’t get to come in and pick up the pieces.” That was all she said before she got into her truck and left.
I stayed where I was and watched her leave.
None of that shit went the way I expected.
I came there thinking Reiana had been hiding my son from me, but according to her, she told me.
I would’ve remembered that shit. There was no way I would’ve gotten a message saying Reiana was carrying my child and ignored it.
I could’ve hated her guts at the time and still wouldn’t have turned my back on my own blood.
So either Reiana was lying straight to my face, or something happened eight years ago that neither one of us knew about.
And the way she looked at me told me she believed every fucking word she said.
Once I got back in my truck, I grabbed my phone and called Rook before I pulled off. I needed him to help me figure this shit out.
“Wassup, bro?” Rook asked as the noise on his end died down. “You talk to her?”
“Yeah,” I answered as I leaned back against the seat. “And this shit just got even more fucked up.”
“What happened?” Rook questioned.
“I asked her straight up if Rhyse was mine,” I explained. “She got pissed and told me not to worry about her son because I didn’t want him when she was pregnant.”
“The fuck she mean you ain’t want him? That shit don’t even make no fucking sense,” Rook said the exact same shit I said.
“That’s what the fuck she’s saying,” I confirmed as I looked through the windshield. “She said even after I broke up with her, she still felt like I deserved to know, so she texted me and told me she was pregnant after telling my Mama and Lena that she needed to talk to me.”
“I remember you saying they told you that shit, but you didn’t know about a text?” Rook questioned.
“Fuck no,” I responded as I shook my head. “You think I would’ve been sitting here finding out I got a damn near eight-year-old son if I knew she was pregnant? I’ain never got no text from her saying shit about no baby.”
“That doesn’t even make sense,” Rook replied. “You can be a lot of shit, but I know damn well you ain’t no deadbeat ass nigga.”
“I told her I didn’t know what the fuck she was talking about, and she looked at me like I was the biggest muthafuckin’ liar alive. She’s sticking to her story about telling me no matter how many times I told her she didn’t.”
“Then something happened somewhere, bro. Ain’t no way both of y’all this damn sure and one of y’all just forgot some shit like that,” he mentioned.
That was exactly what had been bothering me since she drove off. Reiana wasn’t trying to convince herself when she stood in front of me. She was pissed because in her mind… I had already made a choice eight years ago and was trying to rectify the shit now.
“I know,” I replied as I rested my head on the back of the seat. “The way she came at me, that shit wasn’t no lie she just made up. She meant fucking every word.”
“So what else she say?” Rook questioned.
“She ain’t go into details,” I explained as I pulled away from the curb. “She just kept saying she told me and that I needed to keep the same energy I had back then. Then she told me to stay the fuck away from her and Rhyse.”
“Good luck with that. You know Ree always had a temper,” he laughed.
“I’on care what she has,” I replied as I made a turn and headed away from her building. “She can be mad at me all she wants, but she’s not keeping me away from my child no longer than she already has,” I stated with finality.
“I feel you, but you gotta figure out what happened first,” Rook advised. “Because right now, she thinks you rejected her and her son. You think she disappeared and never told you shit. The shit just don’t make fucking sense.”
“I hear you,” I replied, even though going back to her had crossed my mind more than once already. “I’m not trying to argue with her… I just need the truth.” I sighed.
“Aight, bro,” Rook responded. “Keep your head on straight. You got enough shit going on out there already without making another move off anger.”
“I’m straight,” I told him as the light changed. “Handle shit there, and I’ll call you later.”
“You already know I got it,” Rook assured me before we ended the call.
I tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and kept driving.
I couldn’t get the conversation with Reiana out my head for shit.
Rhyse was mine as far as I was concerned, but now I had to figure out how the fuck his mother could swear she told me while I knew for a fact I never got that message.
What bothered me most was how certain she was.
Reiana wasn’t standing there trying to hurt me with some made-up shit.
She looked at me like I had already hurt her enough eight years ago and had no right to come back questioning anything now.
That meant whatever happened back then was bigger than either one of us understood.
I had spent years believing Reiana walked away from me to be with another nigga and never looked back.
She had apparently spent those same years believing I knew she was carrying my child and chose not to give a fuck.
Somewhere between what she remembered and what I knew, there was a missing piece, and I wasn’t letting this shit go until I found it. Because if somebody had anything to do with me missing out on my son’s life… me finding out would be the least of their fucking worries.