Chapter 10
SOMEBODY ELSE
Chase
So, if you don’t like flowers, what do people buy you to celebrate? Grass?
Me
Chase, WHY are you texting me? Please respect my work life balance! Text one of your friends!
I tried my best to contain my smile, but his goofy ass had been texting me silly shit since I had been home and it was getting harder to resist. A man who was genuinely funny could laugh me right out my panties, and the way he would say the most off the wall shit while being dead ass serious had these chonies hanging on by a thread.
Chase
Oh, so I’m only good enough to be your homie when I’m beating up leprechauns for you? Next time I’ma leave you with Mr. Unluck of the Irish!
Me
How long does it take you to type an exclamation mark on your flip phone?
Chase
About as long as you are tall without the heels on… so short as fuck, Morgan Freeman.
That made me laugh so damn loud that I garnered a few stares.
Dammit.
The metaphorical panties were off, and the next time I ended up alone with that man, I couldn’t guarantee that he would go unfucked.
“Auntie, are you even listening to me?” Kadence asked as she looked at me in offense. Because how dare I pay attention to anyone but her for the five seconds in the day when she was off her phone?
“Sorry, Lil’ Bit. What is it?” I asked, slipping my phone into my pocket. I had been on her head all day, so I guess I had to lead by example. Chase could wait.
“I said, can I have purple wallpaper?” she asked with big eyes. I didn’t know why she was turning on the charm for me. She knew I was giving her whatever she asked for anyways.
“Girl, get it, but only for one wall” I fussed making her brown face light up in joy.
I wasn’t exactly sure when my baby stopped being a baby, but I needed it to stop.
The last time I was in town, I had to take her bra shopping, and a bitch almost cried in the car…
Well, a bitch did cry in the car. It seemed like only yesterday when she came home from the hospital, and now she was telling me about crushes on boys.
“Thank youuu!” she said with a huge smile.
“Whatever,” I replied, teasing her head full of black and purple box braids. She loved purple just like her auntie. “Just remember that the next time I’m out of town and ask you to water my plants. Last time you killed my damn fig!”
“No ma’am! I did exactly what you told me to do in the text!
I even used exactly six ice cubes just like you said.
It’s not my fault that plant wanted to die,” she argued, giving me a fake stank eye.
She was right, the plant was on its way to glory when I gave her that assignment, but it was much easier to blame the twelve-year-old than my thirty something year old self.
My friend, June, just shook her headful of curls as she looked on and laughed at us.
The three of us were having a girl’s day out.
Kadence wanted to revamp her room to express more of her preteen style, and I recruited June to help since she was the professional.
This girl had grabbed everything from a mini fridge to a new vanity, and I wasn’t even mad.
She was my true broke best friend, and I loved spoiling her, so it was never a problem.
“So what do you plan to do for the summer?” June asked Kadence as they looked over her inspiration pictures in her phone.
“I’m not sure. I want to join this summer AAU team, but my dad says I may need to take a break. Then my mom invited me to come to Korea to visit them,” she said, making my head snap in her direction as I did my best to school my expression.
Her mom, Kari, got a job opportunity in Korea, and she wanted to take her with her, but AJ wasn’t having it.
After a lengthy court battle, he gained full custody and was able to keep her home with us, but when Kari didn’t get her way, she took that out on her daughter, completely ignoring her existence outside of birthdays and holidays.
The bitch even went as far as to get remarried and have more kids, then start posting shit on social media about how she had never known real love until she met her husband and had the new babies as if my niece didn’t exist. She didn’t know it, but she had an ass whoopin’ waiting on her the moment she touched down in the states.
She already knew how I was coming behind Kadence, and she’s lucky she never saw the posts, or I would be on a flight to deliver said ass whoopin’ on same day delivery.
“Do you want to go?” I asked, knowing I would have to rearrange my schedule because there was no way I would let her go alone.
“I don’t know. It would be nice to see my mom and meet the babies, but they’re weird auntie.”
“Very weird,” I answered.
“Amaya!” June snapped, always wanting to be diplomatic. The truth of the matter was that her mother was a dead beat and deserved a foot up her ass for playing with my niece like that, but I kept it as cute as I could.
“Sorry,” I said. rolling my eyes. “Whatever you decide, you know we’ll support you, and either your dad or I would love to take you if that’s something you’re interested in.”
“Thank you… I’ll think about it.” I gave her a quick hug while silently praying she changed her mind because I meant what I said about smacking the fuck out of Kari.
“What about these?” June asked. “We can build you more shelving above your bed to hold all your trophies.”
“Ooh, yes! And while I’m at it, I need a new bed set… be right back!” she said, jogging out of the aisle.
“I just love her,” June said with a big smile.
“Girl, me too,” I smiled. “I keep trying to convince AJ to have another one. We need another baby! He just laughs at me every time. And lord knows we don’t ever need Amari spreading crotch goblins anywhere.”
“Not you tryin’ to convince him to have another baby. I don’t blame him, you do it!” she teased.
“Me?” I asked. “Nah, get somebody else to do it.”
“So you don’t want kids anymore? I only ask because a few years ago, that was all you could talk about,” she said honestly, making me frown in thought.
When I hit thirty and got engaged, my biological clock started ticking in overdrive and all I could think about was marrying Malcom and popping out our little chocolate babies.
Of course, when things shattered, my baby fever broke with all the rest of my hopes, and I had to pivot.
I still wanted at least one child, but not at the risk of being linked to an ain’t-shit-nigga for the rest of my life.
“I mean, I’m not against it if it happens, but I’m too busy to start over with some man,” I said, choosing my words carefully.
Mona was the only one who knew the whole ugly story of why Malcom and I came to such an abrupt end and why I was scared to death of ever opening up like that again.
Everyone else thought I caught him being a whore, which was also true, and more than enough to call off an engagement, but how could I tell my people the full truth about the man that I trusted fully without looking like a fool? That’s why I kept my mouth shut.
“You know, you don’t have to have a man to have a baby,” she said. She was right, and I knew I had the means and the support to do it alone, but I didn’t want to. As much of a Daddy’s Girl as I was, I couldn’t see myself purposely having a baby and denying them that relationship.
“Girl, no. I love my niece, and my brother, and I’m so proud of him for doing his thing with Kadence, but I also see his struggles as a single dad. I’m not doing it.”
“It’s true, but at this point, bitch we might have to go half on a baby and just be coparents.
Mona sure ain’t tryin’ to give us one and you know Lai and Trent just broke up for the umpteenth time,” she whined.
I laughed at the fact that we were all in our thirties and childless, but one thing none of us played about was taking that birth control.
We had collectively seen the worst in niggas and weren’t about to get trapped in a 360 deal with the wrong one.
“You stupid,” I laughed.
“I’m for real, shit I would be a better baby daddy to you than these niggas! I swear, it ain’t nothing out here,” she whined.
We rounded the corner and damn near ran right into a light skinned man with tattoos and locs piled on top of his head.
He was fine, but the way June’s face immediately frowned up had me reaching for my purse in case we had to fight this nigga.
She was mugging him like he had wronged her in her past, present, and future lives.
“What are you doing here?” she snarled, her usually bubbly voice laced with disdain.
“It’s the store,” he replied cooly. “What the fuck you think I’m doing here?” He gestured to his basket that was full of shit that looked like he was on the way to build a whole house.
“Smart ass,” she mumbled.
“Glad you know,” he shot back. He looked like he could snatch your soul right out through your coochie. The low eyed gaze he threw her way was enough to have me squeezing my legs together. It only took me a moment to put two and two together.
“Oh, is this Emerald?” I asked with an amused smile on my face. I had heard all about Tahmir’s friend and June’s apparent nemesis, and the way they argued like a divorced couple anytime they were around each other.
“So you been talkin’ bout me?” he asked June, raising his brow. His light brown eyes sparkled in satisfaction.
“No. Hell no!” she hissed. “Why the fuck would I be talking about you to anybody?” I chuckled. The fact that this nigga had June out here acting like this in public let me know that everything Mona told me about them was true. She wanted him bad, and it pissed her off to no end.
“Sorry, I’m Amaya,” I said, introducing myself once it became obvious that June wouldn’t. “We’re all friends. Mona told me about y’all’s wild night at Rubii’s.”
“Hmph, would have been better if he wasn’t there,” June mumbled, making me laugh.