24. Josias
TWENTY-FOUR
josias
PRESENT DAY . . .
Inhaling on the blunt as I sat on the edge of my bed in only a towel, I closed my eyes. I’d always smoked here and there, but lately, since I’d been outcast from the world of Kasia, I’d been smoking three times a fucking day.
I was fresh out the shower and supposed to be heading out to pack the Godfrey Baking Co. truck, but I needed a minute to get high. The shit was shameful, but it was the only way I could cope with just being a fucking co-parent with Kasia.
As if I’d spoken her ass up, my phone started to buzz on my nightstand, pulling my attention from the scenery I’d been peeping out of my floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Hey, you good?” I answered promptly, almost choking in the process as I ashed the blunt.
“I am, actually,” Kasia replied. “Is this a good time, or should I call back later?”
“Nah, this is the perfect time, actually.” I waved the remaining smoke from my view as my stomach damn near somersaulted like a bitch.
I was praying she called to tell me she wanted to work on us. I wasn’t sure what the fuck reaction I would have, but clicking my damn heels was at the top of the list. A nigga was struggling.
“Great. So I want you and Darron to meet up and make amends so that you will be comfortable by the time I decide to introduce him to Divine.”
My stomach dropped one hundred feet as those words spilled from her mouth.
“Nah. Fuck that. I already met him, and I don’t like his ass. So Divine won’t ever meet or be around that nigga.” I shook my head profusely as if she could see me.
“Josias, you didn’t meet him. You popped up talking shit and beat him up.
He is willing to forgive and be cordial for the sake of me and Divine.
Now, I don’t plan to introduce her any time soon, but I figured the earlier we start working on you guys’ relationship, the better it will be when that time comes.
However, if you don’t want that, it is up to you, but it will not prevent me from introducing Divine to any man that I deem important and that is gonna be a part of my life. ”
I was seething on the other end, not even knowing what the fuck I wanted to say because she was right. I could be combative and uncooperative all I wanted, but at the end of the day, Divine was her child too.
Not to mention, I worked way more than her, and now that she and I were only co-parenting, I was forced to stick to my week and a half with Divine per month.
Before, I could drop by and sometimes be with my daughter all day, every day, for months straight, but that wasn’t possible now that Kasia and I weren’t fucking with one another.
“Baby, can we talk at the least? You got pissed then just shut a nigga out, and now you got a nigga in ya life that you think is worth introducing to Divine already? You ain’t even give me a chance to correct our shit!”
“I did. For years, I gave you several opportunities—most of them you didn’t even deserve.
And I didn’t say she would be meeting him now.
I explained you two needed to mend fences so when the time comes, there won’t be an issue.
Letting this one-sided beef fester will only make things difficult in the long run. ”
“The long run.” I scoffed. “So you plan on keeping that bitch ass nigga around for the long run, huh?” I chuckled mirthlessly, running my hand down my face in exasperation. “Ain’t shit I can do to sway you as far as us?”
“No. Think about what I said and let me know. I have to clock in. Bye.” She hung up quickly, causing me to squeeze the damn life out of this iPhone.
I sat there for a moment before the time on my phone caught my eyes. Standing to my feet, I trod to the bathroom to brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash before getting dressed and dipping out.
Before I went to the Baking Co., I had to drop some money off to Zaire’s baby mama since Rakim explained she had yet to open a bank account.
Bitch was probably in Chex systems or some shit with her fraud ass.
I knew Rakim had gotten a DNA test, but for some reason, I just didn’t trust this random bitch.
I knew it was my protectiveness, but I couldn’t eradicate the feeling no matter how hard I tried.
Parking at her new apartment complex, I shook my head as I climbed out. Checking my phone for her apartment number, I made my way up and then rang her doorbell.
“How you doing?” A woman sauntering down the hallway smirked at me flirtatiously.
“What’s good?” I threw out dryly, not even feeling like myself.
I was a friendly ass nigga, especially when new pussy was around, but lately, I wasn’t into that shit. Only thing I wanted to do as of late was make money and spend time with my kids.
“Oh. Wow.” Téa opened the door, taking me in. “You look exactly like him.”
“That’s the meaning of identical twins.” I fake smiled, pushing my locs out of my face as I reached the money out to her.
“Okay, smart ass.” She turned her lip up. “Y’all personalities surely ain’t identical.” She took the bank bag and peered inside.
“Fuck you don’t have a bank account like my brother asked? What you got going on?”
“I just haven’t made the time, but I will. You can stop with the accusatory look. Your brother already got confirmation that I wasn’t lying.”
“Man, we gon’ really see once that lil nigga drop.” I frowned, not making a lick of sense.
“You know, instead of trying to make this a bad thing, you should be embracing it.” She folded her arms. “Zaire would want you to be nice to me.”
She was right, but I wouldn’t admit the shit aloud.
“Don’t act like you know my brother better than I do. You spent one night with him. He and I shared a womb, lil mama.” I stared down into her face.
“Yep. You did. So keep playing with me, and I will take your ass to court for child support. Considering you share his exact DNA, you my baby daddy too. Ain’t that the meaning of identical twins?” She hiked a brow, and before I could respond, she slammed the door in my face.
Smart-mouthed ass bitch. I could hear Zaire laughing at me from above, causing me to fight the smirk threatening to appear.
Stalking off, I retrieved my iPhone and shot off a text.
Me: I don’t like this Taya bitch.
Rah: Its spelled Téa and she must’ve checked yo’ hating ass.
Declining to respond, I locked my phone and left the building to hop in my car.
I drove straight to the Godfrey Baking Co., parking and hurrying inside since I was a little late from taking phone calls from Kasia and then getting into that mini sparring match with Téa.
Washing my hands, I got right to work once I had some Jay Rock playing from my iPhone.
After working for a bit, I heard footsteps that appeared to be heeled and expected to see Raquel, the manager, entering, but instead it was Tarin with her face balled up.
Pausing the music, I attempted to ask, “What the fuck—”
Tarin cleared a whole shelf of fresh bread in rage, cutting off my sentence.
“What—”
“What the fuck is wrong with you!” I roared, eyeing the fucking mess she made and pissed at the fact that all that new bread would have to be tossed since it’d touched the fucking floor.
“My friend told me she saw you kicking it at some bitch’s apartment like forty-five minutes ago!” She shoved me, but I didn’t budge because she was much too small to push on a big nigga like me. “And she told me that ho was pregnant!”
I was floored, trying to figure out what the fuck she was talking about, until I remembered dropping that money off to Téa.
And the ho switching past me in the hallway was clearly the messenger.
I was sure she left out how she was giving a nigga that energy like she wanted to get fucked while being so nosy.
“Man—”
“You got another bitch pregnant again!” Tarin screamed, face already covered in tears as her chest rose and fell rapidly.
I was about to dig in her ass, but the sight of how wounded and damaged she was, internally, halted me. She was shaking and every-fucking-thing, heaving and sobbing as she waited for my confirmation of probably her worst fucking nightmare.
“Aye, calm down.” I stepped toward her, but she moved away from me, sniffling.
Her makeup was ruined that fucking quickly.
I decided against trying to console her ass physically, recognizing that she didn’t want me to touch her right now.
“The pregnant woman’s name is Téa, and she got pregnant by Zaire, before he died, obviously, so Rakim is taking care of her.
He asked me to drop some bread off to her. ”
“Yeah right!” Her pretty face bunched, annoyed as fuck.
“I swear. I don’t have no babies on the way. Whomever told you that shit don’t even know what the fuck they’re talking about. I put that shit on my twin, the girl I saw is Zaire’s baby mama.”
Tarin was still breathing heavily, but I could see that she was calming down as she wiped her face with the backs of her hands.
“Okay,” she whispered, looking down briefly and appearing to be embarrassed.
“Tarin.” I took her hands in mine now that she would allow me to touch her ass. “I can’t do this shit with you no more.”
Her head popped back up instantly, saying, “I’m sorry. When Nina told me what she saw, I was just so pissed I didn’t even give you a chance to explain.”
“Nah, I know, and that’s because of our history, Tarin.
” I brushed the backs of her hands with my thumbs.
“That shit is my fault. Not yours.” Shaking my head, I continued.
“We toxic for each other, and I’ve hurt you too fucking much for us to be anything more than what we are right now, baby.
And I want more than that. I want something solid and pure.
I want to be in a relationship where when someone comes to my girl with shit like that, she know to ask me first instead of jumping to conclusions.
And again, that’s my fault you be acting like that.
You deserve a nigga that don’t make you think the worst of him every time a situation comes up, Tarin. ”